Familial Obligations
by Aleisha Potter
Summary: Her soon to be brother-in-law came to her with an odd request. "Have my baby". Now she must make a choice and walk a dangerous path. More than just her relationship with Ron is at stake when playing this game. GE's Great Cliche Challenge.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is in response to the Great Cliché Challenge. I know the whole point of this challenge is to write a cliché, but to make it your own, so I went with a different angle. I wanted Hermione to have the best of intentions this time around, not just be a whore and jump into bed with someone. So, here it is. Thanks to Kathy for being my sounding board and accepting all my ramblings and griping about this fic! You are my angel!! I hope you enjoy!! Thanks for reading, and remember, REVIEW!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am not making any money on this fic…you know how this goes!

**Familial Obligations**

**Part One**

Hermione Granger sat at her table in the Leaky Cauldron sipping on a butterbeer waiting for her future brother-in-law, Bill Weasley, to arrive. He had asked her to meet him there at six fifteen. He finished work at Gringott's at six and he promised to come over when he was done. She had no idea what had prompted this _urgent_ meeting he had insisted on, but she had agreed nonetheless.

She had finished her first drink and was starting on her second when a tired looking Bill entered the bar. He looked around for a moment before spotting her in an out of the way corner table. He made his way over to his brother's fiancé and took the seat across from her.

"Thanks for coming. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. Creholk insisted on a last minute meeting with a few new…_investors._ I swear, I'm starting to wish I had chosen a career that didn't involve greedy, good for nothing…" Bill was interrupted by their waiter's approach.

"What can I get for you today?" he asked with a smile.

"I'll have a butterbeer, thanks," the redhead replied.

"All right, I'll have it right out," the waiter answered.

"So, I take it work didn't go so well?" Hermione asked the tired wizard before her.

"It wasn't too bad, I'm just a little on edge and goblins don't help," he told her as the waiter brought his drink, then left them to their discussion.

"So, what's the deal? You sounded very determined when I talked to you yesterday. Gonna tell me what's going on?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

Bill took a small sip of his drink then set it on the table. He traced the rim of his glass with his thumb for a moment, seeming unsure of what he wanted to say. Twice he opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it before any words actually came out. Finally deciding where to start, he looked his friend in the eye. "Did you know Fleur and I had decided we were ready to start a family?" he asked the bushy haired witch.

Hermione was surprised. She hadn't heard anything and in the Weasley family, that was a miracle. "I didn't know," she told him with a smile. "Congratulations…I guess. I mean, do you congratulate someone for that?" she asked with a laugh.

Bill gave her a sad smile. "Thanks, but don't congratulate us just yet. We have been trying for almost six months now. We finally went to St. Mungo's yesterday and…well, we found out that we aren't going to be able to have a baby." He paused at this to take another sip of his drink.

"Oh, Bill. I'm so sorry. Are they sure? I mean six months isn't that long. Sometimes it takes a year or more," she told the sad wizard.

"They're quite sure. You see, well," he sighed, running his fingers through his long red hair, pulling it out of its confines to fall gently across his shoulders. "You know Fleur is part Veela, right?" he asked.

"Yes, I remember that from my fourth year, the tournament and all."

"Well, apparently my part wolf and her part Veela don't… click. The two genes just can't combine, they'll destroy each other, they're just not compatible," he finished with a sad smile.

Hermione reached across the table to cover Bill's hand. "I'm sorry. How is Fleur taking all of this?" she asked, a little worried about his answer.

"She's doing pretty well, actually. She's strong. I was afraid at first she would blame me, but she seems to be taking it all in stride. She a great witch, I'm lucky," he said with a small smile.

Hermione smiled at his words of admiration for his wife. She felt slightly guilty when she remembered her horrible feelings toward the beautiful part-Veela during her sixth year. She could chalk it up to immaturity she supposed. Either way, those feelings had disappeared and now she respected the brave witch that had stolen Bill Weasley's heart. She noticed Bill was starting to look nervous. He kept picking up his drink, only to set it down without taking a sip. He began to fidget in his seat, looking unsure of what to do next.

"Hermione, how much do you know about ancient Pureblood traditions?" he asked her.

The young witch looked confused for a minute before answering him. "Not much, why?" she asked.

Bill took a deep, steadying breath. "There is an old tradition, rarely used anymore, but still accepted amongst the Old Families. If, for any reason, the family heir, or his wife, were unable to produce an heir, they would turn to one of their family to, well…ummm…produce one for them. Either the wife would turn to one of the husband's brothers, or the husband would turn, well, to one of his sister-in-law's. This would allow the baby to still be blood and part of the family, carrying on the name and so forth," he finished, staring at the table, turning his glass of butterbeer in circles.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "So…you are going to have one of your brothers…impregnate… Fleur for you?" she asked, unsure of what she thought of this archaic practice.

Bill's eyes shot up to meet hers. "Umm…not exactly."

Hermione could tell he was very uncomfortable at the moment, which didn't make her feel any better. She had an inkling about where this was going, and wasn't sure what she would say when he finally got his request out in the open.

"Hermione, you are a very good friend. I respect you and care for you. You are the smartest witch of your age, probably the smartest witch to grace the halls of Hogwarts, and…we…we would like you to…_help_…us have a baby." Bill finished his request, his face uncomfortably pink.

Hermione sat there for a moment thinking. Yes, it would be weird to know her niece or nephew was biologically her child, but really it was a small sacrifice to make to help two wonderful people have the family they always wanted. She gave the nervous red head a smile. "Sure, I'll help. I'm actually flattered that you asked me."

Bill looked taken back at that. "Really? Y-You're willing?" he seemed surprised.

"Well, sure," she smiled at him, taking another sip of her drink. "So, tell me, how exactly do we go about this? I mean, I know how Muggles do it, but I'm sure wizards do it differently. I'm guessing we will need to go to St. Mungo's?" she asked innocently.

Bill spluttered and nearly spit his drink out. He looked shocked and a little surprised at her question. "Mione, surely you know…I mean, you do know how…I mean, surely your parents told you how to…how you make…" he stopped to gather his thoughts before taking another breath. "Hermione, surely you know how conception occurs?" he asked, his face going as red as his hair.

Hermione's eyes widen in embarrassment. "Of course I know how it happens!" she hissed. "I meant, how do we go about _this_."

Bill looked confused. "What do you mean, '_how do we go about this'_? You just said you knew how…"

"I know _how_! I mean, I know how you get pregnant, _normally,_ but this isn't normal! I meant how do we go about…getting my egg…and…and your sperm, you know…together and into Fleur," she huffed, her face burning with embarrassment.

Bill could feel himself growing frustrated. "Hermione, there's only one way **to** get pregnant."

"No there isn't! I mean, there is one natural way, but surely you have other ways. Like in vitro fertilization, or artificial insemination, you know, stuff like that," she replied growing more uncomfortable by the minute.

"In vi…what?? Hermione, what are you talking about?" he asked, completely confused.

"In vitro fertilization and artificial insemination are two different ways Muggles use to get pregnant when normal…intercourse…doesn't work. With in vitro, sperm and egg are put together in…well, a test tube then the already fertilized egg is placed in the woman's uterus and with artificial insemination, well, sperm is placed in the cervix or uterus and they just allow nature to take its course," she explained, immediately switching into "know it all" mode. "It's very normal and easy in this day and age."

"Normal!? What's normal about _that_?" he demanded. "It sounds so cold and impersonal! Muggles actually create new life like that?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, yes. If someone can't have a baby with his or her spouse, then that's the next best thing. What do wizards do?" she asked.

Bill clenched his jaw. "What do you think they do?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "So, you are saying, if someone can't get their wife pregnant, or vice versa, they go…sleep with someone else?"

"Well, yes. But you make it sound so…dishonorable. It's not meant to be like that. It's a gift, given out of love," he finished quietly, looking deep into his glass of butterbeer.

"So, what you are really asking is for me to…well, have sex with you until I get pregnant, then what?" she asked, turning a brilliant shade of red.

"The there is a spell preformed to place the fetus inside another's, in this case, Fleur's, uterus, where she would carry the baby to term."

"Oh," Hermione answered, trying to keep the shock out of her voice, but failing miserably.

"I'm sorry, I know this is an odd request. I forgot for a moment that you were Muggleborn and probably had very different customs concerning…this," Bill said, slowly raising his eyes to hers. "Hermione, you are a good friend, and I want you to know that nothing will change if you can't do this. It is a lot to ask and I will not be upset or hurt if you can't bring yourself to do this."

Hermione took another steadying breath. "Can…can I have a little time to think about this?" she asked him hesitantly.

"Of course. Take all the time you need. Talk it over with Ron if you need to," he added as an afterthought.

Hermione laughed at that. "I'd rather not talk to Ron about this, thank you very much. I really don't have the patience to deal with his jealous tirades right now."

Bill just gave her a small smile. "Thank you for listening. Just let me know when you have come to a decision."

"I will," she answered while searching her purse for a few coins to pay her tab with.

"Don't worry about, I've got it," he told her, placing a hand over hers to still her search. Electricity shot through her arm at his touch, causing her to blush. She had always found Bill very handsome. His long hair and slightly roguish appearance had always done things to her libido and their recent discussion had her on edge more than usual. She gently pulled her hand out from underneath his.

"Thank you, I'll…I'll call you tomorrow," she told him while standing up from the table. He just nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment. He watched her walk away, her hips gently swaying with each step.

"This was a mistake," he whispered to himself as he felt his stomach tighten at the thought of what lie underneath those loose work robes of hers. He had always respected Hermione. She was smart and fun to talk to. She was the only witch he knew who could actually sit down with him and have a truly intellectual conversation with. He also thought she was damn sexy, in an innocent, off limits way. She was the forbidden fruit, his brother's best friend and much too young for him. Not to mention the small fact that he was married and she was about to be. He knew he should not have come to her for this, but the possibility of bedding her should she actually agree was too much for him. He ignored the small voice of warning and asked her to meet him. Now he knew he was in trouble.

Hermione collapsed onto her bed. She was wound tighter than a Muggle top. She was shocked, to say the least. She couldn't believe what Bill had asked of her. She thought at first he was simply asking for a few eggs, but no, he wanted much more. He wanted to…sleep with her. Not just once either, no, he wanted to do it how ever many times it took until he could get her knocked up. That thought should have appalled her, but it didn't. Instead it aroused her. She pictured Bill. His long lean body, his rippling muscles, his long, silky hair falling gently around his shoulders and down his smooth back. She felt ashamed of her thoughts. This was her future brother-in-law, her _married_ future brother-in-law. But then again, he had asked her to do this. He said it was accepted amongst the old families. She had a hard time believing Ron would accept this though. She knew she would never be able to convince him to go along with this. He would see it as a betrayal, and he would be right. Sure, she could claim it was with the best of intentions, just a small thing to help out her friends, but in her heart she knew it was more. The thought of going to bed with Bill, of his hands on her, his body inside of hers, the thrill she felt when she imagined their intertwined bodies, that was the betrayal.

She should say no. Let that be the end of it. She should let him go find someone else, but she couldn't. The thought of Bill making love to another, the thought of someone else giving him this gift, sent waves of jealousy through her. It wasn't right. She knew that. She had no claim on him, but she still couldn't picture anyone else carrying his child. She knew if she went through with this she would have to see Fleur carrying his child, _her_ child. She could live with that, having the knowledge that she could give him what Fleur could not. She wouldn't have to tell Ron. Everyone could just believe Fleur had finally gotten pregnant. She could do this, and no one would ever have to know.

Coming to a decision, Hermione jumped up and went over to her fireplace. She took a small pinch of floo powder and threw it into her fire, calling out "Shell Cottage". Bill's surprised head popped into the fire.

"Hermione?" he asked surprised.

"I'll do it," she blurted out before she could lose her courage.

Bill just sat there for a moment, looking shocked before pulling himself back to his senses. "Move out of the way, I'm coming through," he told her. She backed up, giving him room to crawl out of the fire, into her bedroom. He dusted his robes off, spilling ash onto her Persian rug. "Sorry," he replied sheepishly. He took out his wand and cleaned the mess he had made, then turned to face her.

"Hermione, are you absolutely sure about this?" he asked seriously.

"Yes, I am, but I have a few requests," she told him, nodding towards the bed, indicating he should sit.

"Okay, shoot."

"First, a time limit. Ron and I are getting married in thirteen months. I…I can't do this after I am married. It just wouldn't be right. We have until then," at this he nodded, motioning for her to continue. "Secondly, I…I don't want Ron to know." At this Bill opened his mouth to interrupt. "No. I'm serious. He would never allow it. It would be too much for him and even though the reason is completely…honorable, he would snap. It would ruin things between you two. Please," she finished, looking down at her hands.

Bill sighed. "Alright. We won't _tell_ Ron, but if he finds out and asks, we won't lie either."

"Deal. And lastly, I _will not_ go to your house to…_do it_. I'm sorry, but I just wouldn't be comfortable there," she told him.

"No problem. I can handle that, I'm not sure I would be comfortable either," he told her with a small smile. "Okay, now it's my turn. There is only one thing I ask," at this he looked a little uncomfortable. "I don't really know how far you and Ron are in your relationship…but…well, I…I don't think you should be sleeping with us both. I want to know when you are pregnant that it's mine," he told her, turning beet red.

Hermione gave a small laugh, also blushing. "Ron and I aren't…we aren't intimate. I told him I wanted to wait…I just…I didn't really want to…well, we aren't, don't worry," she finished, her face burning.

Bill looked shocked and uneasy. "Are you…are you a virgin?" he asked.

"Oh! No…no I'm not. I just…sex complicates things, and things are already so…odd between us that I didn't want to push it there yet," she explained.

Bill just nodded. "I understand that. Okay, first things first, are you on any potions or Muggle birth control?" he asked her.

"No," she replied, feeling a little nervous.

"Good. Umm…well, I will figure out some way to…know when the best time to…to get together is," he stumbled over his words. He watched her lick her lips, a nervous habit of hers. Her perfect white teeth nibbled gently on her bottom lip as she waited for him to continue. He couldn't take his eyes off her lips. They were just begging to be kissed. A little voice in his head was urging him to just do it, kiss her, they would have to get comfortable with each other eventually, if they ever hoped for this to work, what better time to start than now? Fleur was visiting her parents so he had no one waiting for him.

"Bill?" she asked, worried at his glazed expression. His only answer was to press his lips against hers in a searing kiss, all thoughts of why they shouldn't do this at the moment gone. She gasped in surprise, opening her mouth against his, allowing his tongue to slip between her lips and gently stroke her. Surprise gave way to pleasure as she leaned into the kiss, her hands moving up his arms to rest on his shoulders. He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist, anchoring her to him. She moaned against his mouth, her hands moving up, into his hair. He deepened the kiss, his hands moving up underneath her shirt to stroke her smooth back.

When the need for air finally forced them apart, they sat there gasping for breath. Her face was flushed and her lips were swollen and bruised. He decided she looked hot! He was rock hard. Never before had a simple snog affected him so much. It took all his will power not to throw her down on her bed and ravage her there.

"Bill, I've…I've only ever done this once...I don't…I have no idea what I'm doing," she blurted out, blushing furiously. He stilled her words with a finger to her lips.

"Then let me teach you," he said in a husky whisper that sent chills down her body, desire pooling in the pit of her stomach.

She could only nod, not trusting her voice. Bill leaned over and pressed his lips against her neck, trailing hot, wet kisses down to where neck met shoulder, and then gently sunk his teeth in.

"Oh Gods!!" she gasped as his teeth grazed her sensitive flesh. She could feel his hardness against her core. A light throbbing had begun where his erection lay against her. She mewled and pressed herself down, gasping when his hips bucked against her.

"Witch," he muttered against her neck. He moved his hands to the hem of her shirt, quickly pulling it over her head and throwing in onto the floor. He gently laid her back onto her bad, his hands going to the buttons on her dress pants. He carefully undid each button, then slid the pants down her legs, where they soon joined her shirt on the floor. His hot gaze traveled down her body. "Better than I imagined," he mumbled to himself. He moved back up to capture her lips once more, using his wand to rid himself of all but his boxers.

"Cheater," she gasped against his scorching lips. He chuckled, then moved his lips down her chest. He pulled her bra off, then gently kissed one taut peak while his fingers trailed over the other. He carefully took the hard nipple into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue before suckling it.

The throbbing between her legs had risen to an almost unbearable level. "Bill, please," she pleaded.

"Please what?" he asked with a wicked smile.

"Please touch me," she whined.

Bill moved one hand down her side and over her hip. He stroked down the outside of her thigh, then back up the inside, stopping just short of her soaking center. She moaned at the denied contact. He removed his hand, disappointing her, only to replace it with his mouth. "Oh!" she gasped as he kissed her inner thigh. He looped his fingers into the band of her knickers and pulled them down, shoving them over the side of the bed. He took a deep breath, reveling in the sweet smell of her arousal. Dark wet curls surrounded her entrance. He traced her wet lips with his forefinger, then circled her clit, causing her hips to buck. He placed on hand on her hip to hold her down then pressed his finger deep into her wetness. Gods she was tight! He ached to take her, but knew he needed to go slow.

"You said you'd done this once before. Tell me, did he make you come?" he asked in an aroused voice.

She jerked her head, no.

"Well, I shall enjoy this then," he told her as his finger pumped in and out of her. He inserted a second finger and watched as her eyes widened in pleasure. He let his thumb flick over her swollen clit and groaned when she bucked at his hand again. He leaned over and flicked her nub with his tongue. That combined with his fingers was too much. He felt her muscles clench as she called out, "Bill!!"

"I like my name on your lips," he told her huskily as he rid himself of his boxers, his erection springing proud and free. Her eyes widened at the sight of him.

"You're huge!" she blurted out, then clasp her hand over her mouth, turning as red as his hair.

He barked out a laugh. She glared at him.

"I'm sorry, love," he chuckled at her discomfort. "I'll take that as a compliment, okay?" he asked, covering her body with his, coming to rest between her spread legs.

"Git," she muttered darkly. She moaned when she felt his pulsing member at her entrance. She hadn't meant to blurt out her thoughts on his size, but she was just so shocked. She was a little embarrassed to be worrying about him fitting, but he was so much bigger than the only other person she had been with.

"Are you okay, love?" he asked, his control slipping.

She nodded, raising her hips up to meet his. He gently lowered himself, pressing into her heat. He entered her slowly, allowing her to adjust to his girth. He filled her all the way to the hilt, then stilled.

She felt full, completely and utterly filled and it felt _good_. After a moment he started to move. He would pull almost completely out then press himself back in. Soon she found his rhythm, rising to meet his thrusts. She looked into his deep blue eyes, moving in time with him, her body responding in the most primal way, their bodies moving in a dance as old as time itself.

His thrusts became harder and faster as the pleasure built. "Hermione, thank you," he whispered down to her.

"For what?" she moaned.

"For this," he gasped, so close to his release. He reached down between their bodies to find her sensitive spot. "Come with me, love," he urged as he stroked her clit.

She felt the ball of pleasure erupt inside of her. Her muscles clenched around him as he pumped into her. "Ahhh!!" he growled, unable to hold back as he spilled his seed deep into her womb. They clung to each other as the waves of pleasure crashed over them, leaving both panting and shaking.

Neither moved for a while, both basking in the aftermath of their lovemaking. Finally Bill pulled out of her and lifted himself to her side. The fire had died in the grate, leaving her room rather chilly. He reached down and pulled the covers over them before pulling her against his chest. "Are you okay?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes," she answered sleepily. "Thank you, that was…amazing," she told him. She tried to stay awake, but her body just wouldn't cooperate. Her eyelids drooped shut and she fell into a peaceful sleep, sated and content.

Bill knew he should feel ashamed. He could lie to himself if he wanted, but he knew what had just happened had nothing to do with their arrangement. He had taken her, not out of necessity, but because he wanted her. He had always been attracted to her and in a way this was just a cover up for him, a reason to fuck her and get away with it. Yes, he wanted a baby and couldn't have one with his wife, but he could live with that. Fleur couldn't. So he had turned to the one woman who could give him what he wanted, both a child and great sex. She would kill him if she found out. He would have to play along and make her believe he just wanted a baby.

He sighed, pulling the sleeping witch closer to him. He loved his wife, in a way, but there was so much about her that just rubbed him the wrong way. He had lied to Hermione, telling her Fleur was dealing with everything okay. In actuality, she was not taking this too well, blaming him for his _abnormality_. He had originally suggested she be the one to go to one of his brothers, his suggestion had been Charlie, to get pregnant. She had scoffed and looked appalled at the idea. She didn't say it, but he could tell what she thought. She found his family to be…unworthy. Instead insisting he go to another. He had come up with the idea of Hermione, being the only one that was close to being family. Fleur had wrinkled her nose at that, but smartly kept her mouth shut. He knew there were other reasons for choosing the intelligent Muggleborn, but the main reason was his respect for her. If he could choose anyone to be the mother of his child, it would be her. A small part of his heart wished he had chosen her to be his wife as well, but he stopped that train of thought before it could start. He was in dangerous water as it was without adding excess baggage.

Hermione shifted in her sleep, drawing his gaze to the brunette in his arms. He truly cared for the young witch and would take what he could get before his brother claimed her as his own, and in the end he would have the knowledge that they shared a child, something to forever tie their souls together, even when their bodies belonged to another.


	2. Part Two

A/N: Wow, people actually liked it!! I'm so warmed by your reviews!! Thank you so much!! Again, thanks to Kathy for all her wonderful support, YOU ROCK!! She is truly my angel, she puts up with my quirks and all my **issues**. Okay, on to business. I have found myself in a pickle. I hadn't ever meant to unveil Hermione's previous lover, but many reviewers at other sites are adamant in their queries about him, so I thought I would tell all, only one problem, I hadn't decided who he would be. If anyone has suggestions, please, send them my way. I have a couple ideas, but I am going to wait and see what the more popular response is before I bring his identity out into the open, so, let me know…onto the good stuff!! This part is a little shorter than the last, but I didn't really want to add the dinner party here, so I ended it where I did.

Familial Obligations 

**Part Two**

Hermione awoke to bright sunlight streaming through the parted curtains in her bedroom. A small smile graced her lips as she remembered last night's events. She rolled over to face the empty side of her bed. Her smile faltered when she realized Bill was gone. She sighed. Of course he wouldn't stay the night, what had she been thinking? He had his wife to get home to, why would he stay here with her? And even more important, why did she even want him to?

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she rose from her bed and made her way over to her wardrobe, taking out a Muggle pair of jeans and a Gryffindor red jumper. It was Saturday and she had promised Ron, Harry and Ginny she would go shopping with them today. Apparently thirteen months to plan a wedding was "cutting it short" according to Molly Weasley, so to appease her future mother-in-law, she had promised to get right on it. Today they would be looking at bridesmaid's dresses and Ginny was in heaven. Hermione on the other hand was not looking forward to their day of shopping.

She made her way into her master bathroom and turned the shower on. Soon the room was filled with heavy steam. She stepped into the hot spray and allowed it to wash away her aches from the night before, wishing she could wash away the feeling of his hands on her body while she was at it. The last thing she needed today was to be lost in the memories of Bill while trying to pay attention to Ron.

She finished her shower quickly and threw on her clothes for the day, casting a quick drying spell on her hair. She wasn't really in the mood to fight with her hair today, so she threw it up into a high ponytail. The young witch stared at her reflection for a moment, trying to discern if any telltale marks had been left on her body that would betray her. Her musings were interrupted by a loud knock on her door.

"Coming!" she called out, grabbing her wand on her way to the door. Opening the door to reveal her friends, she greeted them with a smile. "Hey!"

"Hey, yourself," Ron said, leaning in to chastely kiss her lips. She couldn't help but notice how different his lips were from Bills. Ron's were thinner and smoother, almost as if he wore chapstick, whereas Bill's were fuller and a little rough, possibly due to the time spent out in the harsh sun of Egypt. _Stop!_ Her brain yelled at her. She could not wander off into those thoughts today, she had to focus!

"So, ready to go?" Ron asked her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, let's go," she answered with a cheery smile.

"Oh, by the way, do you have any plans tonight for dinner?" her fiancé asked.

"No, nothing I can think of," she answered, her thoughts straying for a moment to Bill, wondering if he had meant to come by tonight.

"Good, the whole family is getting together tonight. You can come, right?" he asked, his eyes hiding a smile.

"Wouldn't miss if for the world. What's the occasion?"

"Oh, nothing big," he answered, his eyes avoiding hers.

"Sure," she said, her eyes narrowing. She turned her gaze to Harry to find him grinning like an idiot. Ginny reached over and elbowed the raven-haired boy.

"Ouch! What was that for?" he asked his girlfriend.

"Oh for cripe's sake!" she said, rolling her eyes. "Harry, Ron, remind me never to trust either of you with a secret," the red headed girl muttered.

"Okay, guys, what's going on?" Hermione asked her friends.

"Just don't ask, that way they can't ruin it," Ginny pleaded with her brunette friend.

The older girl just shook her head, "Okay, whatever."

The four friends made their way out of the house and out to the Apparition point. "Diagon Alley?" she asked.

Her friends nodded. "See you there," Harry said, then turned on the spot and disappeared.

The four friends appeared outside of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. They had promised to stop in and see George and Charlie before heading to Madam Malkin's. Charlie had moved back to England after the final battle and to everyone's surprise taken up Fred's place at the shop. It pleased Molly and Arthur to finally have all of their family back home. It helped with the healing.

Hermione entered the shop first, only to duck in order to avoid a flying stink bomb. The little devils had been Charlie's idea. Large Dung Bombs enchanted like bludgers to soar at the nearest individual. "_Finite Incantatem",_ she yelled, pointing her wand at the black ball as it turned to make another dive at her.

"Spoil-sport," Charlie laughed, coming over to pick up the now lifeless pellet.

"Gee, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to be covered in dung while trying to pick out wedding dresses," she sneered at the older Weasley.

Charlie threw his head back and laughed. George came up to them as Ron, Harry and Ginny entered the store. "How are you lot doing?" he asked, giving his sister a hug.

"Great, actually," Harry answered for them, noticing Hermione's sour expression. "All right there, Hermione?" he asked hesitantly.

"Oh, just peachy," she replied, shooting daggers at Charlie's laughing form, before relaxing into a chuckle herself.

"You are both coming to dinner tonight, right?" Ron asked, eyeing his brothers.

"Of course, Ronniekins," George answered, ruffling his little brother's hair. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Good, you, too, right Charlie?"

"Don't worry, we are all coming, now lay off before you have a fit," the older man laughed, thumping his brother on the back.

Hermione looked between the Weasleys and Harry, wondering once again what was going on and why Ron seemed so adamant that everyone be at dinner that night.

"Have you talked to Bill yet?" Ron was asking Charlie.

"Yeah, he didn't know for sure if Fleur would be back from Calais yet, but he said he would definitely come," was the answer.

Hermoine's heart jumped at the mention of Bill. She scolded her wayward organ for its lapse in judgment. "Well, we had better get going. We have no idea how long this is going to take and dinner seems awfully important tonight, so we don't want to be late," she told her companions. The group bade the two older Weasleys goodbye before heading off up the street to the dress shop.

They entered the quiet shop and made their way to the back, where the formal attire was kept. They told the clerk they would like some time to just look and would come find her if they needed any help. After they were left alone, Hermione turned to Ginny.

"I was thinking baby blue for yours and Luna's dresses. I want to see exactly how it will look with your hair first though," she told her friend.

"Sure, not a problem. Harry, Ron, you two sit down over there. You know you are going to have to give us your opinion, right?" the younger witch told the two frowning wizards.

Harry just rolled his eyes. "Of course, dear."

Ginny narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "Are you sassing me?" she demanded.

His eyes widened in mock fear. "Never darling!"

She just smirked. "Good."

"Okay, Gin, try this one on first," Hermione said, coming up to her friend and holding out a dress.

"All right, be back in a minute," she told them, disappearing into one of the curtained changing cubicles.

"Why are Harry and I here again?" Ron asked his fiancé with a frown.

"You have to pick out your dress robes then have them fitted, remember?"

"Oh…yeah," he replied with a sigh.

"Don't worry, we'll be as quick as possible," she promised.

Just as she was finishing her sentence, Ginny came out. Hermione smiled. The dress was perfect. It had two delicate straps on each shoulder. The bodice had delicate flowers embroidered on it, ending in an empire waistline. The skirt was satin and fell to the floor, covered in a sheer overlay. She glanced over at Harry and laughed at his expression. He was gaping open mouthed at Ginny, doing his best impression of a fish.

"Wow, you look great, Gin!" Hermione gushed.

Ron reached over and shut Harry's gaping mouth. "Yeah you really do…he thinks so, too," he replied, indicating the silent wizard as he spoke.

Ginny just laughed. "Thanks."

Hermione went to speak to the saleswitch about purchasing two of the blue dresses, then set up appointments for Ginny and Luna to come have them fitted. After that was completed, the four friends made quick work of selecting the boys' robes then ordered them to be delivered later that week.

The four friends left the store and began walking up the street. It was a beautiful day and the sun shone down upon the small group as they made their way up to Gringotts. Ron and Harry said they had some business to take care of there, but neither would say what that entailed. Ginny and Hermione promised to wait for the boys out in the marbled entryway. Hermione had forgotten for a moment that Bill worked at the bank so she was rather shocked to find his smiling face approaching them.

"Bill!" Ginny called out to her brother, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Hey, there. What are you guys doing here?" he asked, his eyes falling on Hermione.

"Ron and Harry drug us here," Ginny explained to her oldest brother. "It's all hush, hush, you know," she said with a conspiratorial wink.

"Okay, that is getting really annoying!" Hermione exploded.

Ginny turned her shocked gaze to her normally calm friend. "Sorry, Hermione, I didn't know it bothered you that much…we're just joking, you know," she apologized hesitantly.

She just huffed. "I know. I just hate not knowing what's going on," she mumbled to the floor.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Ginny told her, placing a gently hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged. "It's fine." She raised her eyes to finally meet Bill's. She melted beneath his gaze. It was almost as if he could see right through her, right down to the heart of her. When he looked at her, she felt she had no secrets. She knew for sure he could see right into her heart and know her deepest desires. She was lost in his gaze, her pulse quickening. She licked her dry lips, his eyes following her moist tongue.

"Hermione!" Ginny repeated her name again.

"Wha-?" she asked, blinking rapidly to shake off the unbalanced feelings she was experiencing. "Sorry, zoned out for a minute," she muttered, going a brilliant shade of red.

"I said, 'There's the guys, we better get going,'" she repeated, giving her brother a confused look.

Bill gave Ginny another quick hug. "I'll see you tonight, then," he told them, nodding to Hermione.

She gave him a small, embarrassed smile, then turned to follow Ginny over to the boys who were waiting for them next to the exit. "Did you get what you needed?" she asked them.

"Yep," Ron answered with a brilliant smile. The four friends headed back down the street to the apparition point. "Well, Harry and I gotta run, but I'll come by to pick you up tonight about six, is that okay?" he asked her.

"Sure, I'll be ready," she told him with a quick peck on the lips and a wave before they apparated away.

Ginny bade her good bye, promising to see her later that evening as well then turned on the spot and disappeared. She gathered her thoughts together, preparing to apparate herself, when a hand reached out and grabbed her, pulling her roughly into the mouth of a dark alleyway then up against the side of the building. Before she could so much as call out, rough lips were pressed against her mouth in a hungry kiss.

"Bill!" she gasped, finally recognizing her assailant. "What are you doing? Anybody could see us!" she hissed. He didn't answer but pulled her further down the dark path before pushing her up against the wall once again and pressing his lips against her swollen ones.

Bill had no idea what possessed him to follow her out of the bank. He felt drawn to her. Something snapped inside of him the moment their eyes met. He had to have her, he couldn't wait. He swore he wouldn't go to her again until he had talked with Fleur, but seeing her so unexpectedly had broken his resolve. He had meant to go back to her flat to see her, but once she was alone, his control broke. He couldn't wait to get her back home; he had to have her _now_.

His body held hers captive against the cold stone wall. Very little noise from the street penetrated this far down the alley. He could feel his arousal straining against his trousers, begging to be inside of her. His lips left hers to trail down her throat, gently nipping at the exposed skin. His hands slipped under her red jumper to stroke her stomach. His left hand settled on her hip while his right made its way up. His thumb gently caressed the underside of her breast. She moaned his name as her hands raked down his chest, heading towards his throbbing member.

His left hand slipped down inside her jeans to stroke her dripping center. "Wow, all this for me?" he asked huskily.

"Whom else would it be for?" she muttered without thinking.

"You're mine, Hermione. _He_ will never make you feel like I do," he growled in her ear, a feeling of possessiveness washing over him at the thought that only he made her drip with arousal.

"I know," she whispered before slipping her hand down his trousers to grip his erection. The feel of her soft hand on him was too much. He ripped her jeans down to her ankles then quickly released himself, pushing her hands out of the way. In one quick thrust he filled her. "Gods!" she gasped, gripping his shoulders. She kicked her jeans off completely so she could wrap her legs around his waist. He gripped her hips roughly to keep her upright against the wall.

His lips met hers in a frantic kiss as he thrust roughly into her, causing her back to slam into the hard stone. She could only pray no one would wander down their deserted alley. The thrill of being in such a public place only aroused her more.

Bill's thrusts were becoming wild and erratic. She could feel her own pleasure building, a tight ball in her stomach ready to explode. He slipped a hand between them to pinch her clit and her world exploded.

"Yes, Bill!!" she cried out. He growled in her ear, thrust once more, then spilled his seed into her.

The stood there together for a moment catching their breaths. He placed a gently kiss on her temple. "I'm sorry. I…I don't know what came over me. You have no idea what you do to me," he muttered to her, blushing at his admission.

Hermione giggled nervously. "Well, if we keep at it like this, it shouldn't take us any time at all to reach our goal," she told him matter-of-factly.

He pulled back and gave her a hurt look, before plastering on a smile. "Yeah, you're right. No time at all. Well, I really have to get back to the bank before they realize I'm missing. I'll see you at dinner, I guess," he told her while he tucked himself back into his trousers. He muttered a cleaning spell then handed her jeans to her.

"Umm..yeah, sure," she told him, confused at his behavior. One minute he seemed to care and to have enjoyed what they just shared, then the next he was cold and clinical about it. Which, she had to remind herself, was how he _should_ be about it. After all, she was only helping him out, nothing more. _Yeah, right,_ she muttered to herself.

After pulling on her jeans, she said good-bye to Bill and apparated away. She then made her way into her flat where she collapsed in tears on her sofa.

"_What have I gotten myself into?"_ she cried into her throw pillow. She wasn't supposed to have _feelings_ for Bill. This was supposed to be about procreation, creating a baby, not hot, passionate sex with her married, almost-brother-in-law. She knew she was attracted to him, he was a very good-looking wizard, it was hard not to be, but having _feelings_ for him, that was something else. That could get her into trouble, deep trouble. She would have to be more careful in the future. She needed to find a way to detach herself the next time. Falling in love with Bill Weasley was **absolutely** not in the arrangement.

Having made up her mind, she rose and made her way to her bathroom. After her steamy meeting with Bill, she knew she would need a shower before her dinner date that evening. They were going out somewhere fancy and she wanted to look her best. The entire Weasley family would be there, including Fleur, and she wanted to shine.

Two hours later, Hermione emerged from her bedroom feeling absolutely perfect. She had on a midnight blue, knee length silk dress. It had spaghetti straps and an empire waist. It had a black lace over skirt and black beading along the waistline. She wore two black onyx studs in her ears and a simple teardrop onyx necklace. Her hair was piled on top of her head, with a few errant curls falling on her shoulders and down her back. She had found a pair of black, modest heels to finish it off with. She wore no make-up, in fact, she never wore make-up. She always felt that she was hiding her true self when she covered her face in the sticky substances that so many women swore by. She preferred to go _au natural_.

Her doorbell rang a moment later. She grabbed her purse and went to greet Ron. He looked amazing. He was wearing new, black dress robes and holding a single red rose with a white ribbon tied to it.

"Oh, it's beautiful, Ron, thank you," she told him, accepting the gift and kiss he offered.

"So are you," he told her, his eyes raking her gorgeous body.

She blushed with embarrassment, rather than pleasure at his heated glance. "Umm…are you ready?" she asked, interrupting his musings.

"Yeah, you?" he asked, his eyes returning to her face.

"Yeah, let's go," she offered him her hand.

Ron took her outstretched hand in his and led her out to the apparition point. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't know why, but she always felt uncomfortable when he was this close to her. Something just didn't feel…_right._

Pushing those thoughts away, she cleared her mind as he apparated them away.


	3. Part Three

A/N: Okay, wow, people are really enjoying this story! I'm speechless!! And to think, I almost scrapped this whole idea!! Like I told AlexisRose, writers are their own worst critics…lol. I'm sorry the last chapter was short, but I wanted to wait for the dinner. Thank you Valady for sitting in for my AWOL beta! You are a lifesaver!! A whole plate of cookies to you darling!! Again, I bow to TheAmazingKathy!!! You have saved me from myself too many times! Lol. I don't know what I would do without you calling me constantly and asking, "are you writing yet???" Thanks for keeping me in line!! And for your, "Who's next!? Ginny??!" comments. ;) "Wrap up" is a comment that Kathy (Mizco) came up with!! lol. Amadeo is a wine that my friend from Italy created in her vineyard, my husband and I absolutely love it!! This chapter is not for Ron lovers...you've been warned. Onto the fun!!

Familial Obligations 

**Part Three**

Hermione and Ron arrived outside one of the most celebrated Italian restaurants in all of wizarding England. One of the establishment's key selling points was its reasonable pricing. Here you could get excellent food without emptying your account in the process. They hadn't allowed popularity to influence their prices. They were as inexpensive now as they were when they had opened three years before.

Ron held the door open for his fiancé, motioning for her to enter. She gave him a brilliant smile, bound and determined to make things right with him. He followed her into the restaurant. They made their way over to a large table already filled with red heads, save for two. One dark head and one pale head were interspersed into the sea of red. Apparently Fleur had made it back from France after all. For a minute her heart sped up at the thought of having to face Bill's wife. Only two seats were left open at the table, one next to Bill, and the other next to Charlie. Hermione instinctively moved to the seat beside Charlie, leaving Ron to sit by his oldest brother.

"Hermione, dear, you look beautiful!" Mrs. Weasley gushed.

"Thank you! You are looking radiant yourself!" Ron's mother blushed at the compliment.

"Wine?" Harry offered her, a bottle poised over her glass.

"No thank you, I think I will just stick to water this evening," she replied.

"But, you love_Amadeo_," her green-eyed friend said in confusion.

"I know, but…can't a girl get a break around here?" she huffed. "I would rather have water, thank you," she told him pointedly, begging him not to push it. Seriously, was Ron's big surprise such a shock that she needed to be inebriated to hear it? She knew there was very little chance that she could be pregnant yet, but she would rather not take the chance. Mrs. Weasley's eyes narrowed, her gaze moving between her son and his fiancé.

"Sorry, didn't mean to rile your feathers," Harry apologized hesitantly.

"No problem!" she answered, a little too chipper.

Charlie snorted beside her. "Sounds like you've already had a bit to drink there, 'Mione," he told her under his breath. She just glared at him

The large group ordered their dinners while Fleur rattled on and on about her trip to France. She regaled them with stories of her sister Gabrielle's new boyfriend. Apparently he was a well-to-do heir to some wizarding shipping empire. The part Veela was very pleased with her sister's match. It took all of Hermione's will power not to roll her eyes.

"Are you sure you don't want some of that wine? Or maybe some firewhiskey? Could make her voice a little more bearable," Charlie whispered to her, rolling his eyes at his sister-in-law.

Hermione snorted into her water, causing the table to turn shocked faces towards her. She reached over and pinched the red head hard on the thigh, causing him to jump. George, who was on the other side of Charlie, snickered at the silent bickering, earning him a glare.

"Sorry, water went down the wrong pipe," she explained, a blush creeping up her neck. Charlie smiled at his food. Ron looked between his brother and fiancé, trying not to laugh.

Fleur sniffed indignantly, glaring between the brunette and her brother-in-law.

"So, Ron, you had some news, right?" Harry asked pointedly, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Oh, yeah. I guess now is a good time," he replied, giving Hermione a quick smile before addressing the table. She noticed Mrs. Weasley's eager and curious expression. She looked as if she was going to jump up and cheer the minute Ron spoke his secret. Mr. Weasley showed the same curiousness, but his expression also showed confusion. Hermione decided the elder Weasleys must not know any more than she did. She turned her attention back to Ron.

"Well, I am sure you have all read in the Daily Prophet about Oron Whittleby's resignation as Head Auror of Beta Team. It was such a big to do, littered with controversy and all that," he told them, waiting for conformation that they knew about the latest development at the MLE headquarters.

"Well, they have found a replacement for him. It isn't in the papers yet, because…well, I wanted to tell you first. Last week I was promoted to captain and offered the lead position on Beta Team," he finished with a large smile.

"Oh Ron!" Hermione gushed, jumping up to hug him. He slowly stood to return the embrace.

"Congrats mate!"

"_Félicitations_!"

"Excellent!"

"Thank you," Ron told his family before turning to his fiancé. "Hermione, do you remember when I asked you to marry me?"

"How could I forget? We weren't sure we were going to make it out of that storage building. I figured at first you just did it since you were about to die."

Ron smiled at that. "Do you remember the conditions you gave when you said yes?"

She nodded. "I told you I wanted a long engagement and…and I told you that you had to do it _properly_ one day," she finished in a whisper.

When she had finished Ron dropped to one knee. That got everyone's attention. Hermione could feel herself blushing. He pulled out a black velvet box.

"Hermione, you are the love of my life. You complete me. I have never imagined spending my life with anyone but you. Will you be my wife?" He opened the box. Nestled inside was a beautiful diamond solitaire ring. It had a platinum band and a large square cut diamond that sparkled brilliantly in the restaurant lighting. Hermione's eyes widened. That ring had to have cost a fortune. She had told him many times before she didn't need a ring, that she knew she was his. She assumed this had something to do with a male's need to "mark his territory". The former Gryffindor smiled nonetheless.

"You already know the answer to that," she told him quietly. For some reason the simple word "yes" would not leave her lips. She raised her eyes slightly to lock onto Bill's gaze. She had forgotten he was sitting directly behind Ron. Neither moved. For a brief minute she thought she saw a hurt look flicker across his face before his mouth twitched into a small smile. Her attention was pulled back to the kneeling red head when he slipped the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit and looked gorgeous on her hand. He stood again and wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you," he whispered as the whole dining room broke into applause.

"I love you, too," she replied, forcing the words out.

The couple pulled apart and faced the table. Everyone was smiling, save for Mrs. Weasley. The matriarch had a confused scowl on her face.

"Mum?" her son asked, a little hurt. "I thought you would be excited," he said softly, reclaiming his seat.

"Oh, dear, of course I am happy for you. I just thought…well, I hoped…I mean, I thought you had a…_different_ surprise to announce." At this she turned her gaze to Hermione's stomach.

"And what would that be?" the brunette asked the older woman, her eyes narrowing.

Mrs. Weasley seemed to blush as her eyes bored into her future mother-in-law. "Well, I thought you were going to tell us about…well, about the…the baby," she finished uncertainly.

Hermione's eyes widened then snapped to Bill's. His eyes were just as wide and his face had gone deathly pale.

"You thought Hermione was pregnant!?" Ron demanded. "Where did you get an idea like that?"

"Well, I found the baby clothes in Ginny's room," she replied uncertainly. The entire table froze. Harry's face turned an ugly shade of green. His eyes snapped to Ginny.

"But we were so careful!" he blurted out. Six pairs of angry eyes fell on the couple. Ginny's face had turned puce from embarrassment.

"They're not mine!" she bit out between clenched teeth.

"Of…of course not, dear. You told me they were a 'friend's'," Mrs. Weasley told her daughter. "So naturally I assumed it was Hermione. I mean, in this day and age young people just don't wait any more," the matriarch said, her eyes sliding to her daughter and her embarrassed boyfriend.

"Well, it's not me," Hermione told her, her face burning almost as badly as Ginny's.

Percy spoke up for the first time that night asking, "If it's not Ginny or you, then…who is it?" Hermione glanced around the table. Most, like her, were searching out the guilty party. Three red heads were not searching. Ginny was looking between two of her brothers with an apologetic expression. Charlie and George were both staring at their plates. Charlie's face held a smirk while George's held barely concealed fear. Mrs. Weasley must have noticed as well.

"George Gideon Weasley, _what have you done!?_" she hissed at her son. Everyone's eyes fell on the fidgeting man.

"Gee, Mum, what doyou _think_ he's done," Charlie muttered under his breath, earning him another pinch from Hermione.

"Mum, please, I don't think this is the time to discuss this," George pleaded with his mother, unable to meet her furious eyes.

"No! I think this is the perfect time to discuss this!" she bit out. "What have you done? What poor girl have you gotten pregnant?"

"Mum! I said I don't want to talk about this here!"

"Too bad! This is your family, they're going to know sooner or later."

"Fine! Alicia, mum, I got Alicia pregnant. Is that what you wanted to know?"

"That still doesn't explain how the clothes got into Ginny's room," Bill interjected.

"I asked her to keep them. I bought them as a gift and needed to hide them," Charlie explained with a shrug.

No one spoke for a moment. George continued to stare at his plate, a scowl on his face.

"Well, when are you getting married then?" Mrs. Weasley finally asked. "An unmarried, pregnant witch is just unacceptable, you know that."

"Mum," Charlie said, a note of warning in his voice.

"Don't you _Mum_ me!"

"Molly," Arthur Weasley finally spoke up, a note of authority in his voice. "We can talk about this later. This is neither the time nor the place."

"Well, dinner was memorable as always, but Penny and I must be going, early morning at the Ministry and all," Percy spoke up, rising from his seat.

"Yes, of course, thanks for coming, Perce," Ron stood as well, shaking his brother's hand. Penelope gave a small smile and nodded to her in-laws.

"We should probably be heading out as well. We aren't as young as you lot anymore," Mr. Weasley spoke, gently pulling his wife up from her seat.

"But…"

"Molly, let's leave these kids to celebrate," he spoke once again with authority.

Mrs. Weasley clenched her jaw but allowed her husband to lead her to the door.

"Holy shit," George mumbled, letting his head bang on the table.

Fleur scrunched her nose up at his language, then turned to her husband. "Beel, I am not feeling so well. I think that I will go 'ome eenstead of going weeth you to ze club."

"Sure. Would you like me to apparate with you?"

"No, I think zat your brother needs you more," she told him as she pecked him on the lips. _"Je t'adore."_

The remaining brother's all eyed one another, wondering who would speak first. Finally Hermione broke the silence.

"Well, no one ever said Weasley family dinners were boring."

Charlie burst out laughing. "Aren't you so glad that you are going to be a part of our lovely family?"

"Speaking of becoming part of the family, Harry, mate, I think we need to have a talk," Ron spoke up, his eyes narrowing at his best mate.

"Ron!" Ginny growled at her brother.

"Ron, not here. We were planning on going to The Onyx, let's wait till we get there," Bill spoke up, forestalling the coming argument. Harry's shoulders slumped, he knew what was coming and he knew there was no way to get out of it, not if he wanted to continue dating Ginny Weasley. If he had any hope, he was going to have to run the "Weasley Brother Gauntlet" as Dean Thomas had dubbed it. So much for the lovely evening he had been hoping for.

The small group made their way through Muggle London to their favorite club, The Onyx. The place wasn't too packed, which suited them fine, more room to move about that way. They made their way up to the bar.

"Seven shots of Jagermeister, please," Bill ordered.

"Six," Hermione interrupted. "I'll just stick with water."

He nodded, his eyes darkening as they met hers. A shiver ran down her back at the desire she saw there.

"Seven, I'll drink hers," Ron butted in, ending their moment. The bartender nodded, grabbing seven shot glasses and the dark green bottle. He filled each glass with the dark, thick liquid. Six hands reached out and grabbed a glass.

"To George, and fatherhood!" Charlie said, raising his glass. George glared at his older brother. All six threw their drinks back, each grimacing at the licorice flavor.

"Okay, before anyone says a thing, I want to make something very clear. Harry and I are adults. I may be your little sister, but you do not control my life. I _will_ sleep with whomever I want," Ginny told her brothers.

Ron pulled out a Muggle credit card that linked to his Gringotts account and dropped it onto the bar. "Give me another and start a tab," he told the bartender.

"Gin," Bill started.

"No! I am not going to put up with it. I happen to know for a fact that not a single one of you is a virgin, so you will _not_ belittle me for sleeping with someone! I've done nothing that you all haven't done!"

Harry balked at that. "How do you know that they've all done…_that_?"

"Oh, come on, Harry, they have to talk to someone, don't they? Whom better than 'little Ginny'?"

"Ron? You're not a virgin?" George asked surprised.

Ron glared at him and threw another shot back. "No," he mumbled.

"Ah! Our little Ronniekins is growing up!" Charlie gushed at his youngest brother.

"He slept with Lavender," Hermione supplied.

"That's not the one I'm surprised about. 'Mione?" Harry asked.

Hermione suddenly found her dress hem very intriguing.

"Who?" Bill asked. He had wondered since her confession the day before, but hadn't been brave enough to ask. Now he knew that she couldn't get mad at him. If he didn't ask, surely one of the others would.

"We are not talking about Hermione's sex life here, we are talking about Ginny's," Ron butted in before Hermione could answer. She gave him a relieved look.

"No we aren't. My sex life is my business, not yours!"

"You're our little sister, everything you do is our business," George told her. Ginny looked ready to hit her brother.

"Guys, let's just give them a break. She does have a point. They aren't doing anything we haven't done. None of us waited until we were married. We are all adults here, let's just let it go," Charlie told the group, coming to George's rescue. "Now, let's have another shot, shall we?"

"Fine, just…be careful," George told them, a knowing expression on his face.

"Yeah, mate, wrap up!" Charlie told him, slinging an arm around the messy haired young man.

"Wrap up?" Bill asked.

"Muggle saying. He's talking about a muggle form of contraception. It's called a condom," Hermione rattled off. "It's…well, it's a piece of plastic that…that you wear over your penis, to keep the sperm from getting into the woman."

"Like a glove for your wang?" George laughed.

"Err…something like that."

Everyone seemed to relax as they laughed about odd muggle sex devices, everyone except Ron. He was just staring at his sixth shot, lost in thought.

"Hey, I'm gonna run to the bathroom," Hermione heard Bill tell Charlie.

"Ron, are you okay?" she asked her fiancé. He didn't answer but put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He turned to her and captured her lips with his. She could taste the alcohol on his breath. He deepened the kiss, both arms tightening around her, his hands caressing her back. She returned his kiss half-heartedly. She couldn't help but compare his kiss to Bill's. Ron was sloppy, but passionate. Bill was just…well…_perfect._ Hermione's eyes snapped open, wondering where that thought came from. One of Ron's hands trailed up to caress her escaping curls; his other hand came to rest against the curve of her hip, pulling her against him. She could feel the evidence of his arousal pressing against her stomach.

"Get a room, you two!" Charlie told the embracing couple. His voice snapped her back to the present. She pulled back, ending the kiss.

"Ron," she started.

"Yeah, I know, 'We can't.' You don't have to say it," he told her bitterly, turning his back on her. She just stared at the back of his head, hurt by his dismissal.

"Ron," Harry hesitantly approached his friend.

"What?" he bit out.

"Look, mate, I don't want to fight about this, why can't you just be happy for me and Ginny?"

"Why!? Why?! Because you are sleeping together!"

"You're really going to be mad at me for sleeping with your sister?"

"I'm not mad because you're sleeping with my sister, I'm mad because your having sex, period!"

Harry looked confused at that. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you and Ginny are having sex and you didn't even have to buy her a ring for it! I spent an ass-load on that ring and look what I get for it!" he raged.

Everyone froze at his words. Hermione considered hitting her fiancé, but Ginny beat her to it. In the blink of an eye, the youngest Weasley had made her way across the floor to punch her brother in the nose.

"You jerk!" she roared at him.

"What the fuck was that for!"

"What do you think? How could you say something like that?"

"Butt out, Ginny. Go fuck Harry."

"Ron, you always were a lousy drunk. I think I'm going home," Hermione muttered, quickly heading to the door of the club, the raised voices of the fighting siblings fading away. Tears blurred her vision. She knew Ron didn't mean those things he said, or maybe he did, but wouldn't have said it to her under normal circumstances. He had never been able to hold his liquor.

Bill had just finished in the bathroom and was making his way back to the bar when he saw a distraught Hermione blaze past him on her way to the door, tears falling down her face. He glanced over to his siblings to find Ginny and Ron nose to nose, red faced and swearing. He quickly slipped out of the club to follow the upset witch. He caught her in the alleyway, preparing to disapparate.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he told her, causing her to jump in surprise. "If you try to apparate that upset, you'll end up splinching yourself."

"Bill! You scared me! What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in there with the others?"

"Nah, they can handle themselves. I saw you leave and you looked upset. You're crying," he said, gingerly wiping away one of her tears.

"I'm fine, really," she assured him. "I just need a minute, then I'll be okay to apparate."

Bill stepped closer to her, his hands coming to rest on her hips. "What did my idiot brother do?"

"Oh, the normal, got drunk, spoke without thinking, you know how he is," she said in an offhand manner, hoping to disguise the hurt in her voice.

"I don't know how you put up with him," he whispered, his lips coming to rest on her throat. She leaned into his hard frame needing support. "Let me apparate you home, that way I'll know you are safe."

"Okay," she whispered, pressing her lips to his. He wrapped his arms around her holding her close as he focused on her flat. They disappeared with a_Pop!_.

The couple was so engrossed in each other that neither noticed the shocked brown eyes that were watching them from the club door.


	4. Part Four

A/N: Woohoo!! This has been so much fun to write. Thanks so much to Kathy, who allows me to call her at work everyday and read excerpts from the story. Thanks Valady for betaing this for me. Thanks AlexisRose for listening to my ideas and helping me decide which road to take! Thank you to everyone that has reviewed this story, I live for those reviews!! I don't have much to say right now, so onto Part Four!

**Familial Obligations**

**Part Four**

"You are such an ass, Ronald Weasley!" his sister raged at him. "If she has half a brain in that head of hers, she'll throw that ring down your throat, or better yet, tell you exactly where you can stick it! I can't believe you said that! I thought you loved her!"

"I do! I…I just want to show her..."

"Bull shit! You can show her in ways other than shagging her. You're just horny and don't want to have to wait!"

"Easy for you to say, you're getting some!" he shot at his sister.

"Ron, you're not even making sense now. You know what? She deserves so much better than you," his sister told him. She glanced down to find Hermione's cloak lying in the floor beside Ron's feet. She bent down and picked it up. "You deal with him, I'm likely to kill him if I stay. I'm gonna run to Hermione's and take her cloak back, she may want it tomorrow," she told her boyfriend. He just nodded, wondering what in the world he would do with the drunken man in front of him.

Ginny stomped out of the club, intent on Apparating to Hermione's flat. What she found once outside caused her stomach to drop. There in the alleyway for all to see was her brother, held tightly in the embrace of none other than Hermione Granger. She couldn't believe her eyes. The Bill she knew would _never_ do that to Fleur…or Ron for that matter. And Hermione! How could she do this? Sure, Ron had been a royal git, but jumping his brother to get back at him? That was rather low.

Ginny felt rage boil up inside of her. She turned back towards the club and ran straight into Charlie.

"Whoa! What's wrong with you?" he asked noticing the fury in her face.

Without thinking, she grabbed her brother's arm and pulled him into the alley.

"We're going to Hermione's," she told him.

"What? Why?" he asked, confused.

"We're going to pay our _dear friend_ a surprise," she told him, venom dripping from every word.

Charlie felt the squeeze of Apparition then found himself standing outside of Hermione's flat. He had only been there a handful of times, but recognized it nonetheless.

"Gin, what are we doing here at midnight?" he asked he irate sister.

"Hermione is having an affair with Bill," she blurted out.

Charlie just stared at his sister as if she had grown a second head. "Where in the world would you get a stupid idea like that?" he asked in disbelief.

"I saw them as they left the club. They were all over each other!" she ranted as she made her way up to the door.

"Are you sure about that? Maybe we should calm down instead of running in with wands blazing," he told her, stalling her hand on the door.

"I know what I saw," she seethed, ripping her hand out of his grip to pound on Hermione's door. It took a moment for the door to open. When it did, the two Weasley's were faced with a very disheveled, rosy-faced Hermione.

"Ginny? Charlie? What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

"Are you shagging Bill?" Ginny demanded without preamble. Hermione's face paled. Her eyes guiltily darted between the two siblings. "I knew it! You fucking whore! I defended you!" Ginny raged at her friend.

Hermione looked to be on the verge of tears. "I…" she started.

"Ginny, maybe we should hear what she has to say," Charlie spoke up finally. He turned his gaze to Hermione. "Can we come in and talk?" he asked quietly.

She just nodded, moving away from the door to let them in.

"Is he here?" Ginny demanded.

"No," the brunette whispered. The two Weasley's sat down on her couch, warily watching her.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Charlie asked sensibly, praying there was some reasonable explanation for this whole mess.

He watched her take a deep breath. "It's not what you think," she started but was interrupted by a snort from Ginny. She glared at the younger woman. "It's not."

"So you are sleeping with him?" Charlie asked, disappointment in his voice.

Ginny's eyes blazed. "Fleur is going to…"

"Fleur knows," Hermione cut in.

Neither sibling moved at her words.

"Bill came to me a few days ago with a…request of sorts. He and Fleur want a baby, but because of his Lycantropy and her Veela genes, they can't conceive," she told them.

"So he is trying to get you pregnant instead," Charlie finished, finally catching on.

"Yes, then they will place the fetus into Fleur, allowing her to carry the child and give birth to him or her."

Ginny looked skeptical. "I didn't think they did that anymore."

"It's not common, but it does occur still," Charlie told his sister. "Does Ron know?" he asked.

"No."

Ginny looked uncomfortable at that. "You have to tell him. It's not right."

"Ginny, you know how Ron is, he would never…"

"Hermione, if you are having sex behind his back, that is cheating and…and it's just not right. If your reasons are really _honorable_ then why can't you tell him?"

Hermione didn't have anything to say to that so she just hung her head down. "Ginny, please, I…I will tell Ron, just…not yet."

"If you don't, I will."

"Ginny," Charlie said, a warning in his voice.

"I will tell him, not you! Promise me, you won't say one word," she snarled at the red headed girl.

Ginny looked at Hermione defiantly.

"If Ron finds out about this from you…then Harry might just find out about a certain night between you, Dean and Seamus," Hermione threatened.

Ginny blanched. Charlie's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Watch me."

"We won't say anything," Charlie promised her quietly. Hermione glanced at Charlie and was surprised by his soft expression. His eyes held understanding. He gave her a reassuring smile. "We all have secrets."

She smiled back, nodding her thanks. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to be up early tomorrow." Ginny and Charlie made their way out of her flat and Apparated back to the alleyway outside the club.

"I can't believe her!" Ginny spluttered as soon as they reappeared in the alley.

"Ginny," Charlie warned her again.

"No, he needs to know. If I can't tell him, then you will," she snapped at her brother.

"No, I will not."

"He has a right to know that his fiancé slept with his brother!"

"He already knows," a voice startled them.

Both Weasley's turned towards the shadows where the voice came from. George stepped out to face his brother and sister.

"What?" Ginny asked. "What do you mean 'He already knows.'? How the hell does he know?"

"She told him," he said simply.

Ginny and Charlie glanced confusedly at each other. "If that's true, then why did she make us swear not to tell?"

George shrugged. "It was only one time, maybe she didn't want it brought up again."

Ginny laughed humorously. "It was definitely not just one time…she was about to do it yet again if we hadn't shown up."

It was George's turn to look confused. "What?"

"Yeah, I don't know what they told you, but it definitely isn't a 'one-time thing'," Ginny told her brother bitingly.

George was starting to look uncomfortable. "What are you guys talking about?" he asked them hesitantly.

"Hermione sleeping with Bill! What did you think we were talking about?" Ginny demanded.

Charlie looked suspiciously at his brother. "What were _you_ talking about?"

George's face flushed red. "Nothing…"

Ginny's eyes bored into her brother's bowed head. "George Gideon Weasley," she said in a perfect imitation of her mother, "what were you talking about."

He just sighed. "I thought you were talking about…who she lost her virginity too."

Ginny's eyes widened yet again. "Exactly how many Weasley's has she slept with!?"

"Gin, don't," Charlie spoke quietly.

"It wasn't…" George started.

"Like that. Yeah, I get it," Ginny finished for him.

"Ginny, she was just trying…"

"Trying to help. Yeah, so I've heard. She seems to be in the business of helping out Weasley men," she scoffed.

"It was right after Fred died!" he spat out in anger.

Ginny froze, her face softening.

"I…I just wanted to feel…something, anything. I didn't know she was a virgin. If I had…" George spoke softly, remembering that night as he told his siblings the story.

George sat before the roaring fire in the Gryffindor common room. It was over. The battle was won. Everything everyone had ever wished for. Why then did he feel so empty? Simple: he was missing half of himself. He would never again be complete. His twin, his brother, his friend was gone, lost forever.

_George couldn't stand the thought of going up with his brother's to the dorms to sleep. He knew they would want to talk, and that was the last thing he wanted at the moment. His heart was broken and he thought for sure he should be feeling anger, or hurt, or something, but he didn't. Instead he was numb. He felt lost and insecure, wondering why he wasn't lashing out or at least crying. He didn't know what to do with himself._

_He continued to stare into the dancing flames as he heard footsteps approaching. He didn't turn as someone sat down next to him. He glanced to his left out of the corner of his eye to find Hermione Granger sitting next to him. She didn't utter a word, a fact he was grateful for. She just leaned her head over on his shoulder and looped her arm through his._

"_Why can't I feel?" he asked her brokenly. She looked at him with tears in her eyes._

"_You will, just give it time," she whispered before leaning over and kissing him. The kiss started out gentle and innocent, but quickly turned into more. Each poured out their pain and anger into that kiss, deepening it and turning their hurt into arousal. George clung to her shoulders, using her body as an anchor for his soul._

_Hermione placed her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back so that he was lying on the rug before the fire. She straddled his waist, never breaking their heated kiss._

_He could feel her heat against his quickly growing member. He ran his hands down her sides to rest on her hips. Her hands left his shoulders to travel down his chest. They stopped at the hem of his shirt, grasping it and pulling the whole thing up and over his head, then throwing it somewhere over her shoulder. She stared down at his naked chest for a moment, and then leaned back down, her lips trailing kisses down his neck then across his shoulder. Her lips trailed heat across his chest to his belly button. She paused, her hands hovering over the zip of his trousers where his arousal was very evident._

_George grabbed her arms and hauled her back up to claim her lips once again. He flipped them over so that she was trapped beneath him. He ripped her shirt open; afraid he would lose his nerve if he stopped long enough to think about what he was doing. He needed this. He needed to _feel_. He could tell she understood, that this was her offering to him to help him heal. In thirty seconds flat he had both of them completely nude, his erection standing proud as his eyes took in the beautiful sight before him. His mouth attacked hers again as his tears began to fall. He felt his heart ache. He wanted desperately to stop the feelings that were erupting in him finally as memories of Fred flew around his mind. He needed to push the pain away; he wanted to focus on Hermione and Hermione alone at the moment._

_His tears continued to stream down his face as he used his thighs to nudge her legs further apart. He didn't even check to see if she was ready before thrusting roughly into her, filling her to the hilt with one swift motion._

_He didn't need her scream of pain to know what he had done. He felt her tear the minute he entered her. He froze, horror washed over him as realization of what he had taken dawned on him. "Oh, gods," he muttered, immediately trying to withdraw._

_She wrapped her legs around him, holding him inside of her, not allowing him to pull out. "Don't move," she whispered, a grimace of pain on her face._

"_Hermione, I…I am so sorry," he whispered brokenly, his chest heaving as he fought the urge to sob._

"_Shh…it's okay, George. I wanted this, you needed this. Go ahead, move," she told him quietly, her hands on his hips urging him to move against her._

_He carefully pulled out of her and entered again, this time very slowly and gently. She was so tight. Her hot walls caressed his aching erection as he moved within her._

"_George," she whispered, her voice tinged with pain. He stopped immediately._

"_I'm hurting you," he stated._

"_No, don't stop," she pleaded with him._

_He began to move again, kissing her neck, his hands ghosting across her body. Her hot, wet heat was almost too much for him. He knew he wouldn't last. He felt her sigh against his chest as her walls clenched against him. He gasped, forcing his body not to betray him. He wanted her to enjoy this; he wanted to give her something besides pain. After what she had given to him, she deserved some amount of enjoyment! _

_She was moaning in pleasure now, her hips rising to meet his. He knew he wouldn't last. One final thrust brought him over the edge, spilling his seed deep into her._

"_I'm sorry," he murmured as the tears came again._

"_Shh…George, it's okay," she assured him._

_He gently pulled out of her, watching her grimace in pain. He looked down at the blood on the rug from her deflowering._

"_Hermione," he started._

"_George, don't," she commanded quietly._

_He carefully scooped her up into his arms._

"_What are you doing?" she asked._

_He didn't answer, just carried her up the stairs to the boys bathroom. He turned the water on as hot as bearable and stepped under the spray with her. He carefully cleaned her, being as gentle as he could, silently crying the entire time. _

_When they were both clean and dry, he handed her her clothes, dressing himself while she put her clothes on. Once they were dressed again, he carried her over to the couch by the fire. There they lay in each other's arms until the first light of the new day._

"I swear, I didn't know, and I beat myself up over it for awhile, but in the end, I finally realized she didn't hate me, that she knew exactly what she had given, and then I was able to accept the precious gift she had given me," he finished quietly, glancing up at his brother and sister.

"George…I…I didn't know. I'm sorry," Ginny whispered, her head hung in shame.

"Yes, well, maybe you should think before you go and accuse Hermione of being a whore!" he said bitingly. "It's late, I'm heading out. Charlie? Will I see you back at the flat?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute."

George nodded before turning on the spot and disappearing.

Charlie turned to his sister. "It's not our place. Promise me you won't say a word to anyone."

"I promise, Charlie," she whispered.

He gave his sister a quick hug before Disapparating away.

Charlie appeared outside of his and George's flat. He opened the door to find his brother waiting for him on the couch. He walked over and sat beside the quiet man.

"Are you okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, I just…I haven't thought about that night in a while. I was in a scary place that night and…well, I don't really like to remember being there," he explained.

"Hey, it's okay. That might have been a scary place, but you came back, that's what's important," Charlie told his brother.

"Thanks. So, tell me, Bill and Hermione? Do I want to know?" George asked, changing the subject.

Charlie chuckled. "It's not as bad as it seems. Bill and Fleur can't have a baby, so, well, Hermione is helping out."

"Ah. Hermione should just open a business. 'Free Help for all Weasleys'."

"That's a disturbing thought, George."

Both brothers started laughing. Charlie turned to his younger brother. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. You go on to bed, I'm just going to sit up for a little bit, I'll see you tomorrow."

Charlie leaned over and enveloped his brother in a hug before heading off to his bedroom.

Hermione paced her bedroom. How could they have been so careless? Couldn't they have waited until they were out of site before throwing themselves at each other? She knew she only had herself to blame. She just couldn't keep her hands off of him! He was an addiction. Her body yearned for him, her heart ached for him. This was not healthy, she kept telling her self to let go, that it was only sex, but her heart didn't want to believe her. She had always admired Bill Weasley. Since she was fourteen she had had a crush on him. He was handsome and smart. He led a daring life, yet he wasn't reckless. He had been Head Boy, had gotten twelve O.W.Ls, he was…perfect. Well, not perfect, but pretty damn close in her mind. Never mind the fact that he was eight years older than her.

She would never have admitted that in sixth year it was jealousy that made her have horrid thoughts about the beautiful part-Veela, jealousy that _she_ had captured Bill's heart when it should have been Hermione's.

Yes, Fleur had won in the end, and Hermione needed to accept that. She wore his ring on her finger and she would be the mother of his child. He had made his choice, now she just had to learn to live with it and find a way to sleep with him and not lose her heart in the process.

Bill walked into his bedroom. His wife was lying between the sheets, her bare shoulders visible in the soft moonlight. He slowly took off his clothes, leaving only his boxers, his erection throbbing painfully from his unfinished business with Hermione. He climbed into his bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping Fleur. He slipped his boxers down his hips, freeing his throbbing member. One hand gripped his swollen manhood, gently stroking himself, picturing another slender hand doing the stroking.

He felt the bed shift then a warm mouth replaced his hand. He gasped as a hot tongue licked his weeping head, savoring the drops of pre-cum that had gathered there before taking the entire length into her mouth. A slim hand caressed his balls while the mouth stroked his pulsing shaft. He felt his orgasm start deep in his stomach, moving slowly outward. She took his entire length again, his head hitting the back of her throat. He felt his balls tighten before his seed exploded into her waiting mouth.

"Hermione!" he gasped as the waves of pleasure washed over him. The hand that had been caressing his balls tightened painfully. His eyes flew open to meet the angry blue eyes of his wife.


	5. Part Five

**A/N: Thanks again to a wonderful Beta, Valady! And thanks to AlexisRose for being a sounding board for my insane ideas! ****Falls on knees and worships TheAmazingKathy**** Darlin, you are a life saver. She held my hand through this entire chapter, every time I was unsure, she gave me a boast! I should also point out, since I have forgotten to say anything so far, that Remus Lupin is very much alive in this fic. Everything else from DH is as is, including his marriage and their son, but he didn't die in the Final Battle. I was also informed that this chapter might need a minor Bloodplay warning. It is very minor, but I thought I should throw it out there just in case.**

**Familial Obligations**

**Part Five**

Bill turned over on the hard, unyielding sofa. It was the third night he had spent on said sofa. For three nights now he lay on the sofa and stared at the closed, locked bedroom door. He knew his wife was upset with him and he couldn't really blame her. What he did was deplorable. What kind of person calls out another's name while balls deep in their wife's throat?

He just couldn't keep his mind off of his brother's fiancé. They had been lying on her bed, hands everywhere they could reach, kissing passionately when her door buzzer had gone off. He had had to Disapparate quickly so she could go and attend to her late night visitors. He had a pretty good idea who had come to call and that thought did not sit well with him. The last thing he needed was his brother to find out about his and Hermione's agreement. He had a suspicion that if Ron knew, then there would be no more nighttime meetings for the two of them. He did not want to think about the time when they would eventually have to bring their dalliances to an end.

Bill glanced at the clock on the mantel. It read seven in the morning. He roused from the sofa and padded down the hall to the guest bathroom. Pausing in front of the door, he turned his glance back to his closed bedroom door. Gods be damned, this was his house, and if he wanted to shower and change in his own room then his wife would just have to get over it! He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the closed door. His spell threw the door open with a resounding _thud!_ His wife bolted upright in their bed.

"What een Merlin's name eez going on?" she demanded.

"I have to get ready for work."

"And you 'ad to wake me een such a way beecauze?"

"Well, if you hadn't locked me out of the bedroom, I wouldn't have had to use such a loud spell to open the door, now would I?"

"Well, eef you 'adn't called out zat _girl's_ name, zen I would not 'ave locked ze door!"

Bill paused, guilt washing over him again. "Fleur, I'm sorry. You know we agreed on this. I just…I didn't know…I had no idea I would…_desire_ her so much," he told his wife, a furious blush making its way up his face.

Fleur's anger diminished slightly. "I understand. Come to bed, _mon cheri,_ and I weell make sure zat you only think of me from now on," she purred to her husband.

Bill knew he should, or risk her wrath, but he just couldn't bring himself to want to touch her right now, not with Hermione still on his mind.

"Love, I have to get ready for work. I have to be in early so I can be done in time to make it to Mum's for dinner. You do remember we are supposed to be over at six, right?"

Fleur pouted to show her disappointment. "Perhaps later, _mon cheri._"

Bill smiled before making his way into the bathroom to shower and ready himself for the day.

Once Bill was safely ensconced in the bathroom, Fleur's pout faded to an angry frown. She was furious at her husband for even _thinking_ about that girl when he was with her, much less desiring her. She would have to come up with some way to end this…_arrangement_ between the two of them, and end it soon, before she lost her husband to that…_slag._

Ginny paced her bedroom, staring at the small cauldron that sat underneath her window. She knew in the back of her mind that what she was planning was wrong, but she didn't care. What Hermione and Bill were doing was wrong! If nobody else was willing to fix this, then she would have to take it upon herself to do it.

She glanced at her clock. The required thirty minutes of cooling time had now passed and she could bottle up her potion and hide it until this evening. Really, her idea was a stroke of genius if she did say so herself. She knew Hermione loved Ron and that her brother would do anything for his fiancé, they just seemed to have a little trouble in the intimacy department. Okay, so maybe not trouble, Ron was more than willing and able to get things going with Hermione. For whatever reason, her brunette friend was unwilling to go to bed with her youngest brother. At first she had defended Hermione's position, but that was before she knew she was putting out for her oldest brother. Now she couldn't understand why Hermione was withholding it from Ron.

She had found this potion in one of her mother's childhood books. Her mother and her friends had jokingly made a love potion from this very book and Ginny couldn't help but be curious. When she had found the Lust Potion amongst the dusty pages, the idea had taken hold. Her brother and his fiancé just needed a little push in the right direction. Ginny was sure that once Hermione had been with Ron, she wouldn't want to go back to Bill. Her oldest brother could find someone else to help him with his _problem_. Yes, everything would be as it should be.

Ginny had snuck up to Ron's old room earlier that day to scavenge for the hair needed to ensure that Hermione's lust would be focused on her youngest brother. Sure enough, there on his pillow were three or four longish red hairs. She hadn't even needed to search out one of his hairbrushes as she had originally thought. She had scooped up the hairs and skipped back to her room and finished the potion, following each instruction to the tee.

It was nearing six in the evening and Ginny knew the rest of her family and respective partners would be arriving soon. She donned a sky blue peasant top and low riding khaki's, slipping a vial of her potion into her pocket before heading down to the kitchen to see if her mother needed any help with dinner.

She found Charlie already sitting at the old wooden table. "You're here early."

"Nah, I spent the night. Alicia came over and I thought I should give her and George some 'alone time'. They won't have much once the baby gets here," he explained.

"Ah. Mum, need any help?"

"No, dear. Why don't you and Charlie go into the living room and wait for the others."

"Okay."

Charlie and Ginny made their way into the living room just and Harry, Ron and Hermione entered.

"Hey!" Harry greeted, kissing her gently on the mouth.

"Hey, yourself," she told her boyfriend, then turned to her brother who had his arm draped around his fiancé. "Hey, Ron, Hermione, how are you guys?"

Hermione seemed to be eyeing Ginny rather critically before smiling. "We're good, bit hungry though."

"A bit? I'm starving," Ron mumbled.

"When aren't you?" Charlie asked with a laugh.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy!"

"Yeah, sure, excuses, excuses," Hermione told her fiancé, laughing.

Ron looked as if he was going to argue but before he could utter anything, he was interrupted by the appearance of Bill and Fleur, hand in hand.

"Hello, all," Bill greeted his siblings. Everyone replied with a similar greeting, Hermione's the quietest, her eyes never meeting Bill's.

"Well, I will go grab some pumpkin juice for us to start with," Ginny told the group. She made her way into the kitchen and returned with a pitcher of pumpkin juice and seven glasses. She had pre-filled the glasses and dumped the potion into Hermione's glass.

"Here you go," she said, handing out the glasses.

"Thanks."

"Thank you."

"_Merci."_

"So, how was work today, Bill? Goblins still getting you down?" Harry asked the oldest Weasley.

"Nah, they've let up mostly."

"That's good. I never could stomach the creatures"

"You're not alone there, mate."

Ginny watched Hermione take a large sip of her juice, then cringe.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Ron asked worriedly.

"Yeah. I think something is wrong with the juice," she told the group.

"Mine tastes fine," Charlie told her.

"Well, mine doesn't," she told him, offering her glass to him.

Before Ginny could stop her brother, he took a large gulp of Hermione's potion laced juice. Ginny watched in horror as Charlie contemplated the taste.

"Tastes fine to me," he told her.

Hermione just shrugged. "Must be my taste buds," she said, her eyes following Charlie's tongue as he licked a few drops from his lips. She took back her glass and took another sip. "It tastes alright now. I guess I was just imagining things," she said, her eyes still staring at Charlie's moist lips.

Ginny's hand tightened on her own glass. What had she done? What would happen now? Was she going to have to hex Charlie to keep him from jumping his own brother? She watched carefully for any sign that Charlie was affected by the potion. So far he seemed completely _un_affected.

Hermione on the other hand was starting to fidget in her seat, her eyes continually straying to Charlie, who sat on one side of her. She jumped when Ron laid his arm across her shoulders.

"You okay?" he whispered to her.

"Fine, would you please move your arm," she hissed in response.

Ron looked hurt and confused, but moved his arm anyway. She scooted away from him, closer to Charlie.

Ginny watched all of this, growing more concerned by the second. Something was wrong. She couldn't figure out what though. She had followed the instructions perfectly, she had added two hairs, just as it said, and she had…

_Oh, no!_ she thought. _The hairs!_ She knew Charlie had spent the night here, but she never thought he might have slept in Ron's old room. Their mother had turned his and Bill's old room into a nursery as soon as she found out that grandbabies were in the future, but she thought for sure Charlie would have slept in twin's old room. Obviously not. That was the only explanation she could come up with. She must have put Charlie's hair in by accident! What was she going to do now?

"Dinner's ready!" she heard her mum call. Everyone stood up to make their way into the kitchen. Hermione walked close to Charlie, allowing her arm to brush against his. _Shit,_ Ginny thought.

Hermione had no idea why the room suddenly felt very hot. Nor did she know why she felt heat rush up her arm as it brushed Charlie's. She had never before stopped to take a good look at the second oldest Weasley boy, and now she wondered why she hadn't. His hair was a bit on the shaggy side, which gave him a pleasant, "I don't give a damn" look. He had several burn scars on his arms from his years with the dragon's, which were an amazing testament to his adventurous spirit. He was a tad shorter and stockier than Bill and Ron, but still a good head taller than her. His eyes were a soft, inviting shade of brown, lighter than Ron and Ginny's. All in all, Charlie Weasley was pretty damn sexy.

Hermione took her seat between Ron and Charlie, directly across from Bill. Fleur gracefully took the seat next to her husband with Ginny to her other side and Harry next to his girlfriend. Percy sat next to Ron and Penny next to Percy. Mr. Weasley took his place at the head of the table and Mrs. Weasley sat at the opposite end. George and Alicia were the last to sit, claiming their seats next to Bill.

"Everything smells wonderful, Mum," Charlie complimented his mother.

"Thanks, dear."

Hermione tried to concentrate on her food but found it rather difficult to keep her mind off of the wizard on her right. She watched the muscles in his arm and shoulder stretch as he reached across the table for the bowl of potatoes. She felt a ball of desire spike in her stomach when he had to bend over to pick up his dropped fork. Her breathing sped up as he turned to her. She could see his mouth moving, a smile gracing his gorgeous lips, but no sound penetrated the lustful haze crowding her brain.

"Hermione?" she heard Ron call from a distance. She snapped back to reality, turning to face her fiancé.

"What? Sorry."

"I was asking if we were still going to your flat after dinner to watch that movie you and Harry won't shut up about."

"Oh, yeah, sure," she told him, turning back to Charlie. "You're coming, too, right?" she asked, her hand straying to his thigh.

"Uhh…yeah," he answered, giving her a confused look.

Her hand began to stray up his thigh towards his crotch. He reached out and caught her wrist, placing her hand back in her own lap.

"What are you doing?" he whispered.

"What does it look like I am doing?" Her hand found its way back to his thigh, this time giving a light squeeze before straying once again towards his crotch. Once again he stopped her progress just short of her destination.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Ron asked, his jaw set in anger.

"Oh, shut up, Ron," she mumbled under her breath before turning her attention back to Charlie. "Charlie, can I talk to you for a minute? I really need your help with something."

Charlie eyed her suspiciously. "Alright, I guess." He glanced at Ron and shrugged, hoping his brother wouldn't be too pissed and hoping he could get to the bottom of Hermione's strange behavior. The only explanation at the moment that he could come up with was that maybe his brother and fiancé had had a fight and she was trying to make him jealous. That was really out of character for Hermione though. She didn't usually play those kinds of games.

Hermione led the way up the stairs into the twin's old bedroom. Before Charlie knew what was happening, he found himself slammed up against the door, with Hermione's lips pressed roughly against his. Her hands were pulling his neatly tucked shirt from his pants. Her hands then found the buckle of his belt, snapping him out of his shock.

"Hermione! What the fuck do you think you are doing?"

"Something I should have done ages ago!" She pressed her body against his, trapping him against the door. Charlie placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed.

"Hermione, why are you doing this?"

"Because I want you!"

"Since when?"

"I think I've always wanted you, I just didn't realize it until now."

Hermione threw herself against him again. They thudded against the door once more. Charlie prayed someone would hear and come save him from what he quickly guessed was a cursed Hermione.

"What about Ron?"

"What about him? You think he makes me feel this way?"

Suddenly the door opened, spilling the two out into the hallway where they landed one atop the other. Charlie glanced up to find a very angry Ron and a very pale Ginny staring down at them.

Ron glared at his brother and his fiancé before storming down the stairs and out of the Burrow.

"Ron!" Charlie called out futilely.

"Save your breath, I don't think he wants to hear it," Bill spoke up acidly before heading down the stairs, following his brother out the door. Fleur rolled her eyes before Disapparating.

"Oh, forget them," Hermione murmured against his neck.

"I drugged her!" Ginny blurted out, causing the remaining members of her family to turn their shocked gazes towards her.

"What?" Mrs. Weasley asked, completely confused.

"I put a Lust Potion in her drink," the pale girl admitted, watching in horror as her mother's shocked expression turned to one of rage.

"Ginerva Weasley! Why would you do such a thing?" Molly Weasley raged at her only daughter.

"At the moment, what does it matter? Would someone please get her off of me?" Charlie asked, bringing their attention back to his plight.

Percy and Harry quickly came to his aid, each grabbing one of Hermione's arms and hauling her up off the disheveled man. Charlie stood up and dusted off his robes.

"Let's go to the living room and we can figure out what the hell is going on," he said, motioning for the boys to lead Hermione down the stairs.

The entire Weasley family took seats around the Burrow's large living room, Percy and Harry still restraining a pouting Hermione.

"Now, tell us what you have done," Mr. Weasley spoke up, disappointment clear in his voice.

"I…I only meant to give Ron and Hermione a push in the right direction. I know how badly he wants…I mean…I…I thought they wouldn't fight so much if they would just…get it over with," she stumbled through her words, trying to come up with something to say besides the truth. "I think…I think I messed up the potion. It needed hair from the person whom the lust was to target and I think I put in Charlie's hair by accident."

Nobody spoke for a long time, Hermione making the only noise in the entire room.

"Ginny, why? If they weren't…intimate, then that is their business, not yours," Percy finally spoke up.

Ginny lowered her head in shame.

"How long will it last?" Harry asked.

"A couple hours, give or take, depending on her weight."

"I'm taking her home, she doesn't need to be anywhere near Charlie until it wears off," Harry told the Weasleys.

"I'm right here, hello! What if I don't want to leave? How do you know I haven't always felt this way?" Hermione bit out.

"If this is how you feel, then you can come back and deal with it tomorrow when you aren't under any kind of influence."

"I agree," Mrs. Weasley spoke up. "Ginny, you and I are going to have a nice long chat."

Ginny nodded her head in defeat.

Harry stood up, forcing Hermione with him. "We're going."

"No!"

"You can come with me willingly, or I will stun you."

"Fine!"

Harry walked out of the Burrow with Hermione before taking her in his arms and Apparating away to her flat, never sparing a word for his girlfriend. The two friends appeared outside of her flat. Hermione wobbled for a minute before finding her footing.

"Ohh…" she moaned, grabbing her head in her hands.

"Hermione? Are you okay?"

"I don't feel so good," she mumbled, grabbing on to Harry to keep from falling. Suddenly her eyes snapped open. "What the _hell_ did I do?"

"Ummm…you tried to rape Charlie?" he attempted to joke.

"Oh, gods. _Ginny!_I'm gonna kill her!" she raged.

"I don't think it's a good idea to go back to the Burrow until we are sure the potion is out of your system."

"You're probably right. Oh gods, how am I going to face him? And Ron! He probably hates me know!"

"You don't know that. Once we explain what happened, he'll understand. Now, I think you should go get some sleep."

"Alright. I'll see you later. Thanks for bringing me home."

"What are friends for?" he gave her a hug before Disapparating.

Hermione made her way up the stairs to her front door. She let herself in, cursing her life and every crazy turn it had taken in the last week. Her front room was pitch-black but she didn't need light to find her way back to her bedroom. Half way across the room, she was suddenly thrown into the wall. A large body pressed into her roughly. The faint scent of mint and sandalwood alerted her to the stranger's identity.

"Bill? What are you doing here?" she asked in astonishment.

"Listen and listen good, witch. I am the _only_ Weasley that you need. I don't know what game you are playing with my brother, but it had better stop, NOW!" he hissed at her, holding her trapped against the wall with his body.

"Excuse me! Who gave you the right to tell me who I can be with?"

Bill didn't answer her. He pressed his lips to hers in a searing kiss. In the back of her mind, she realized that tomorrow was the full moon, which would explain his reaction.

"Are you forgetting that it is your _brother_ that I am marrying?" she demanded after breaking the kiss.

"You might be marrying the little twerp, but he will _never_ make you pant and moan like I do."

Bill slipped his hands up her shirt to caress her stomach. His lips trailed kisses from her ear to shoulder.

"Your body, Hermione, will always be mine."

Hermione gasped as he ground his hips and obvious erection into her.

"Bill," she moaned.

"Do you want me witch?" Bill shoved one hand down her jeans to stroke her dripping core. "Is this for _him!?_"

"Shut up," she commanded, pressing her lips against his. Bill growled in pleasure, roughly picking up the petite witch.

"Where's your bedroom?"

"Down the hall, first door on the left."

Bill carried her into her bedroom and dropped her unceremoniously onto her bed. He pointed his wand at her, whispering, "_Divesto._" Hermione suddenly found herself completely naked, lying before the aroused wizard. A puddle of desire pooled in her stomach, this one having nothing to do with a potion. She watched through heavy lidded eyes as her lover magicked away his clothes. His erection stood tall and proud, begging for her touch.

Feeling wanton, she crawled to the edge of her bed and gently grasped his swollen penis, her thumb ghosting over the purple head. He sucked in a breath, then hissed when she took his entire length into her mouth.

Hermione had never done such a thing, but had heard her room mates talk about it many times. There was something very arousing about the kind of control you had over a wizard when you placed his cock in your mouth.

Bill gasped as she stroked his length with her hot, willing mouth. He could tell she was inexperienced, but damn, she was a quick learner. What she lacked in style, she made up for in zeal. When a delicate hand came up to caress his balls, he knew he wasn't long for this world. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back.

"Enough witch, unless you want the fun to end before it's even started," he growled at her, pushing her back against the bed.

Hermione smirked, pleased that she could push him to his limits with only her mouth. Bill's eyes suddenly darkened, a scheming expression gracing his features.

"Roll over. I want you on your knees."

Hermione looked unsure, but complied with his request. She felt his head against her wet center; one of his hands gripped her hip hard. Without warning, he thrust his entire length into her tight sheath, his balls slamming against her clit. She cried out at the unexpected invasion, her muscles clenching his swollen member. His other hand came around her waist to flick her sensitive nub.

"Gods!" she cried as he pulled out, only to slam once more into her, pushing her forward, her arms nearly giving out against the brutal assault. Bill leaned over, moving slowly and roughly in and out of the witch. He gently nipped at her neck as he stroked her clit.

"This is your punishment, witch, for ever looking at my brother like that. Ron, I can deal with, but Charlie? No, witch."

He thrust into her harder, his head slamming into her cervix with each vigorous stroke. His hand that had been resting on her hip traveled upward to her breast. He roughly pinched her pointed nipple, twisting it, sending a mixture of pleasure and pain shooting down to her core.

"Oh!" she gasped, feeling her pleasure mounting.

All thoughts were washed from his mind; the only thing he was aware of was the writhing witch beneath him. He was lost to the sensations radiating from their joined bodies. His thrusts became wild and untamed, causing the trembling witch to scream out, her muscles contracting and squeezing him as he pistoned in and out of her. He felt his balls tighten. He felt an uncontrollable urge come over him. As his orgasm washed over him, he sunk his teeth into the delicate skin where her neck met shoulder.

She screamed, her body quacking once more. He emptied his seed deep within her, his tongue tasting her blood as it flowed from her wound. Suddenly the witch collapsed beneath him, pulling his dripping member from its warm confines. He took a few gasping breaths before glancing down at the unconscious witch lying beneath him. He saw the bite mark on her neck, blood still gently seeping from the wound.

"Oh, gods, what have I done?" he asked in horror, finally banishing the fog from his brain.

A/N: Okay, no one kill me, I really don't mean to be horrible about the cliffhangers, but this chapter was rather long as it was, so I thought it best to leave it there for now. Sorry! I also want to point out that, yes, I know Bill might have been a little OOC towards the end, but his is part werewolf, jealous and the night before the full moon, so he wouldn't be acting normal...


	6. Part Six

A/N: Thank you to all who voted for this story

**A/N: Thank you to all who voted for this story! Best Cliché fic! I am so amazed! Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed! I am so sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter out. I had a change of plans with the last half of the story, a broken toe, tax time, and company for the holidays…I plan on going back to at least once a week posting after this but thank you for holding out so long on this fic! If I haven't said it before, there is one part of DH that I am ignoring. Remus is very much alive in my reality, but Tonks is sadly not. Teddy exists. Any other questions, just holler! This chapter is dedicated to Lupinswolfie, everybody look for her in it! Thanks Valady for beta'ing and for bugging me about the chapter! She keeps me on my toes!! Thanks Kathy for listening to my rants and helping me keep my mind when my muse committed suicide. Hehe!!**

**Familial Obligations**

**Part Six**

Bill held Hermione close to his body for a moment until he felt a warmth trickle down his arm. He glanced down at the mark on her neck, which had opened again and was bleeding heavily. He remembered from his own attack that cursed wounds were hard to heal and took time. He knew he needed to get her help, but he didn't know who to trust. He couldn't very well walk into St. Mungo's with her; there would be too many questions he couldn't answer.

Of course! Remus! How could he have forgotten about his resident werewolf expert? Even better, Remus's girlfriend was a Healer at St. Mungo's. Danyeal Kent had been a godsend to the older man when his wife had been killed during the Final Battle, leaving him with an infant to raise and an emptiness in his heart. Dany was younger than Remus, she had only been a Second Year when he had left Hogwarts, but she admitted to always having a crush on the handsome Marauder. He knew Dany would have no problem looking in on Hermione, and keeping it quiet.

Bill grabbed his wand and healed the wound once again, knowing it wouldn't last long, he hoped to at least stop the bleeding long enough to contact Remus. He reached down and grabbed his boxers off the floor where they had fallen. He made his way over the fireplace in her bedroom, taking a pinch of floo powder and tossing it into the flames. He called out the address for Remus's flat then stuck his head into the green mass of flame.

"Remus?" he called out, hating to wake his friend. "Remus?"

"Bill?" came the groggy reply. "What are you doing up this late?"

"There's been an…accident. Remus…I…I bit Hermione. I can't stop the bleeding…can Dany help?" he blurted out

Remus seemed frozen in place, shock evident on his face.

"You _bit_ Hermione?"

"I didn't mean to! I mean, it was an accident…look, I'll explain later, can you please help?"

Remus nodded. "Let me wake Dany and have her run Teddy over to Andromeda's, then I'll floo over. Are you at Shell Cottage or Hermione's flat?"

"The flat."

"Alright, give me a second."

Bill made his way back over to the bed where Hermione lay, unconscious and pale. Her neck was bleeding once more and he felt sick to his stomach. His greatest fear had always been that he would hurt someone when the monster inside of him became too much to bear. This close to the full moon, he couldn't control his thoughts or actions and he was constantly afraid that he would lose his weak grip and…well, do exactly what he had done. Hurt someone, someone he cared for.

Seeing Hermione so vulnerable caused something in his chest to stir. Yes he cared for Hermione, but the last couple of days had him doubting the "brotherly" feelings he had maintained to carry for the brunette fiancé of his youngest brother. He knew, whether he was ready to admit it or not, that his feelings went so much deeper, and they had for a while now, he just hadn't been in a position to admit that, even to himself. Now he would give anything for her to wake up and be fine, even if it meant confessing his improper feelings toward her.

A whoosh from the fireplace caused Bill to jump. He glanced over his shoulder to find Remus dusting himself off. He watched the older werewolf walk around the bed to peer down at the unconscious woman. Remus looked tired and disheveled. He had dark circles under his eyes and his face was taut and drawn. Bill realized that he must be having a hard time with the full moon so close and felt bad for a moment for dragging the older man out of bed this late.

"Dany is taking Teddy to his grandmother's then she will floo over."

Remus carefully brushed a damp curl from Hermione's face and tucked it behind her ear. Bill felt his inner wolf stir with possessiveness at the older man's gentle caress.

Remus's eyes narrowed as he took in the bleeding bite at the junction of shoulder and neck, his eyes flashing amber for a moment. He carefully sat on the bed beside Hermione, one hand gently lying on her naked shoulder, the other hovering over her cheek. He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. Bill fought the urge to jump across the bed and strangle the older wolf for daring to touch _his_ woman.

Remus leaned over and whispered urgently, "Hermione, love, wake up."

It was that one word that caused Bill to snap. _Love?_ How dare he? Bill was over the bed in a heartbeat, his hand finding Remus's throat, throwing him from the bed and up against the wall.

"You would do well to keep your hands to yourself, Moony," Bill growled.

Remus's eyes turned amber, Moony slowly taking over in anger at the younger wolf's audacity. It was time for the younger man to be reminded who was the alpha. He roughly shoved the redhead away from him, easily breaking the younger man's hold on his throat.

"I will not have _you_ threatening me," Remus purred. He stalked towards the retreating form, slowly beginning to circle the younger man, neither moving their eyes from the other. "You marked her, why?"

"Because she's mine."

"She is not yours."

Bill growled in anger at his words.

"She is mine!" With that, the younger man lunged once again at the older werewolf. Remus was ready and used the momentum to slam Bill roughly into the floor, pinning him there with his body, straddling him and holding his arms hard against the wood flooring.

"Don't test my patience, little wolf!"

Bill was breathing heavily, his mind in chaos. He was trying hard to fight the wolf, but failing miserably.

"Just what the hell is going on here?" a female voice asked as it immerged from the fireplace. "Remus!"

Remus growled lowly at the approaching figure. Dany paused, recognizing that it was Moony, not Remus she was dealing with.

"Remus, love, calm down. Hermione, she's hurt, I need your help," she pleaded with the angry wolf, hoping to snap him out of this with worry over his friend.

Slowly Remus's eyes faded back to their soft blue color. He glanced down at Bill, noting that he too looked much calmer, and a little ashamed. He let the younger man up, and walked back with him to the bed where Hermione still lay unconscious. Dany immediately began to pass her wand over the prone form, diagnosing exactly what her ailment was.

"Bill, what's going on here?" Remus asked tensely.

"Honestly, I…I don't know. It started out so innocently. Fleur and I wanted a baby, but we couldn't, not with her Veela blood and my wolf blood, so I asked Hermione for her help. Only…it's turned into a little more than that…" he trailed off at that when Dany gasped.

"Bill Weasley! You gave this poor girl a Lust potion?"

"What? No. I haven't given her anything."

"Well somebody has. It's not reacting well with her; some people have allergies to potions like this, that's why she won't wake."

Remus walked closer to the bed.

"Will she be okay?" he asked his girlfriend.

"I'm going to give her a potion to help, but this bite will take a while to heal. She'll have to re-bandage it constantly over the next couple of weeks to control the bleeding and she will always have a scar."

Bill closed his eyes at the realization of what he had done swamped him.

"Why don't you go on home? Don't worry about Teddy, we can pick him up tomorrow," Remus offered.

"Alright. Are you sure? I don't know if leaving you two alone is such a good idea, considering what I found when I floo'd here."

"It's fine. I promise. I just want to talk to him for a minute."

"Okay." Dany walked over to Remus and reached up on her tip toes to kiss him passionately on the lips. "Hurry home, please?" she whispered, giving him a loving and seductive smile.

He nodded to her. "I'll be home before you even miss me."

The two men watched as Dany tossed the floo powder into the fireplace then disappeared with a whoosh.

"Alright, Bill, what is going on?"

"Well, I told you that Hermione was helping Fleur and me with our…baby problem, well, I think it's…_progressed_ into a little more than that, at least to me. She's supposed to marry my brother, Remus! I'm not supposed to have these feelings! I don't understand it!"

Remus looked at the younger man with sympathy.

"What happened tonight?"

"We were having dinner at the Burrow and…we caught Hermione with…with Charlie…"

"Charlie? Isn't she marrying Ron?"

"Exactly. We were all shocked, Ron was furious, and I have to admit, I was drowning in jealousy. I don't know why, it wasn't my place by any means, but I couldn't help it, I wanted to rip my brother's throat out. I left in a hurry, but I didn't go home. For some reason, I wanted to _punish_ her for touching him, for throwing herself at him, so I came here.

"When she came home, I confronted her, but…well…we ended up, well, you can guess, and then I just lost it…I felt this _need_ to mark her, to bite her, so I did. I didn't mean to hurt her, Remus! How could I do this? What have I done? Will she…will she be like me now?" Bill could feel tears prickling behind his eyes.

"No, I don't think she will. The curse in you is already weakened, the contamination you passed to her would be even weaker, she may be a little…_off_ on the full-moon, but I don't think it will nearly as bad as you.

"But Bill, there is one aspect of this I am a little worried about. Forgive me for prying, but…have you ever…bitten Fleur. I mean, have you ever felt the need to…_mark_ her?"

Bill blushed.

"No, I haven't."

"Then this brings up another issue. I honestly don't know if this works the same way, seeing how you are not a full werewolf, but usually the bite, placed where it is and in the…_manner_ in which it was delivered, constitutes a mating. Under normal circumstances, you have just taken her as your mate."

Bill blanched.

"I...I what? Oh, Merlin, Ron's going to kill someone…she's going to kill me…I'm dead."

"I think the best thing you can do, is leave her be to sleep off the potion, and get some sleep yourself, then sit down and talk about this tomorrow."

"That's probably the best thing. Thank you, Remus, I'll see you later," Bill spoke quietly, dismissing the older wizard.

Remus gave a small smile before flooing out.

Bill sat back down beside Hermione on the bed. He gently pushed her hair back from her face, noticing that she was once again bleeding through her bandage. He took down the heavy gauze and redressed the wound, cleaning in out as well. His heart clenched at the thought of the trouble this was bound to cause. His once great idea was turning into something horrible. He knew if he stayed here and tried to deal with this, it would ruin his brother's relationship.

Hermione deserved to be happy, and that happiness was not to be found with him. As much as it bothered him, that happiness was to be found with his brother. He had a wife and a life that he needed to focus on. There was really only once solution that would make everyone happy. He and Fleur would leave. They would go back to Egypt.

Bill took out a piece of parchment and grabbed one of Hermione's quills and sat down to pen her a letter.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I am so sorry about last night. I don't know what came over me. It was not my place to berate you for what happened and I understand now that it was not you, but rather a potion that had you throwing yourself at Charlie. I have no reason to be jealous. I have no claim on you. I am afraid that I was taking too many liberties with our _relationship_._

_It is for this reason I think it best that we end this now, before you are hurt more by me. I care for you Hermione, perhaps more than is appropriate, and I can't bear to think that I may hurt you again._

_I want to thank you for everything. You have selflessly offered something precious and I am just not worthy. I wish you and Ron the best. Fleur and I will be returning to Egypt, I think it best to help us put this behind us. I know you will be happy with my brother._

_Dany Kent came by last night and helped fix your wound. You will have to bandage it repeatedly and keep this paste on it, but it will heal. You will, unfortunately, have a scar, but I am sure you can come up with some excuse, or if you feel the need to, you may tell them the truth. I leave that up to you. Feel free to call on Dany if you need help with it._

_Again I apologize for doing this to you, for putting you in this position. There is nothing I can say to make up for it, but I hope someday you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Please, be safe, be happy._

_Love,_

_Bill _

Bill placed the folded parchment with her name on it next to the cream Dany had left and placed it on the pillow next to her head, where she couldn't miss it. He leaned over and placed one last kiss on her lips, gently caressing her shoulder before pulling back. He quickly pulled on the rest of his clothes and left without another word.

A/N: Again I apologize for the long time it took to get this out. I'm sorry it's short, but I'm still not feeling up to par, so I thought I would hold off on the next part until I could write better and with fewer mistakes! I want the next part to be perfect, it's going to have lots of funny parts, so…and a revelation about Charlie, so I thought I would wait and get it out next week! By Friday!! Also, 100 reviews!! Cookies to everyone, just like I promised!! Thank you so much!!


	7. Part Seven

**Familial Obligations**

**Part Seven**

Remus returned to his flat to find Dany passed out on the couch, obviously waiting up for him. He made his way over and gently picked her up. She was very light under normal circumstances, and being near the full moon, his strength was tripled. He carried her into their bedroom and gently laid her down on their bed.

She stretched out, waking slowly.

"Remus? How's Bill?"

"He's shaken up, but I think he'll be okay. You didn't have to wait up."

"I know, but I just don't sleep that well without you."

Remus smiled and began taking off his robes.

"Thank you for coming to look at Hermione."

"You don't have to thank me. She's my friend, too. So, Bill marked her, huh? You know the kinds of trouble this is going to cause? I feel so bad for them."

"I know, but they made their choices, now they have to deal with them. They're tough kids, they'll be fine."

Dany watched as Remus removed his trousers, leaving only his boxers before crawling into the bed with her.

"Dany, love, I think you're wearing too many clothes," he murmured in her ear, causing goose bumps on her flesh.

"Oh, really? And how exactly should I remedy that?"

Remus pounced on her, pinning her to the bed, his eyes turning from their soft blue to violent amber.

"Like this," he growled, ripping her night shirt off her body, baring her breasts to his hungry mouth.

"Remus!"

"Quiet, witch." Remus lowered his mouth to one tawny nipple, coaxing it into a swollen, throbbing nub, his hand roughly caressing the other. He moved his mouth up her chest to her neck, his tongue flicking out to lick the mark he himself had left on her a mere month ago.

Dany moaned as his tongue lapped at their binding mark. Waves of pleasure coursed through her body, pooling in her stomach then sliding lower.

Remus' hand left her breast and moved lower, his fingers ghosting over her belly button before coming to rest on the elastic band of her knickers. He growled at the color of her knickers.

"Slytherin green? Naughty witch."

Dany smirked at her werewolf.

"Are you going to punish me, Moony?"

Remus jerked the knickers down and off, flinging them blindly across the room. He buried his head between her legs, nuzzling her dripping centre. He inhaled her scent, growling softly.

"Remus," she whimpered, wordlessly begging him to touch her.

He took her swollen clit in his mouth and roughly bit down. Dany screamed out, her cry fanning his arousal into a roaring fire. She bucked against his face as his tongue circled and flicked her sensitive nub. He roughly shoved three fingers inside of her, his mouth still attached to her clit. He moved his fingers in and out as she writhed beneath his ministrations.

"Oh!" she cried out as her muscles clenched around his fingers. Not giving her time to come down from her climax, he ripped his boxers off and slammed into her wet warmth.

"You're mine, witch."

"Yes, yours!"

Remus pistoned in and out of the bucking witch beneath him, his eyes riveted on her bite mark. He leaned over and kissed the mark, then bit down, ripping the skin once again.

"Ahh!" she screamed, digging her fingers into his back, drawing blood. Remus growled again, the pain fueling his pleasure. He thrust into her sheath twice more before her muscles clenched once more. "Gods, Remus!" she cried out, coming hard around his thrusting member.

He grunted, thrust once more then spilled his seed deep within her womb.

The couple laid panting together for several minutes, Remus' eyes slowly fading back to their soft blue shade.

"I love you, Danyeal," he whispered before sleep overtook him.

Hermione awoke sore, nauseous and disoriented. Most of the last night was a blur when she tried to remember why she should feel so…off. She carefully sat up and the room began to spin. She felt her stomach give a harsh lurch. She scrambled to the bathroom and emptied the entire contents of her stomach into the toilette. Her head was pounding and her neck throbbed with each heart beat. She slowly washed her face off and studied her reflection. On the left side of her neck there was a large white bandage, soaked through with blood. She gasped and ripped off the bandage. If she wasn't mistaken, that was a _bite mark!_

Slowly the memories of the night before returned. Hermione blanched when she remembered throwing herself at Charlie, then she shuddered at the memory of Ron finding them in their embrace. She would have to go talk to Charlie and make sure that things were okay with them after this.

She remembered returning home to find Bill, jealous and angry. She remembered their passionate tryst, ending with the painful bite then loss of consciousness. She knew she would need to talk to Bill and assure him that she held no hard feelings over last night.

Hermione studied the bite mark. What would this mean for her? It hadn't been the full moon and Bill was not a full werewolf…so what did that make her? One quarter werewolf? She laughed at that thought. She would need to call Remus later and see what he thought.

She made her way slowly back into her bedroom, her stomach still rolling slightly. She almost missed the folded parchment on the pillow next to hers. Making her way gingerly over to the bed, she picked up the parchment and sat down to read it.

_Dear Hermione, _it began. She read it through twice to make sure she understood it correctly. She blinked, not moving from the bed for a good ten minutes, trying to process what she had just read. Bill was leaving. It was over, he was going back to his wife, childless.

Tears slowly welled up in her eyes, hovering on the rim, refusing to fall yet. What had she been expecting? That he would leave his wife, profess his undying love for her and they would grow old together? No, he was married, had been for years, and apparently, even without a child, they were happy. Hermione sobbed loudly, throwing herself down onto her bed and buried her head into her pillow. She cried until she had no tears left.

When she was done, she slowly sat up. He didn't want her? Fine. She had a life to live, she would not let this…lapse in judgement ruin it. First things first, she needed to go see Charlie. He was a very good friend and she really needed him right now. The last thing she wanted was to lose him over a silly misunderstanding.

Making up her mind, she quickly showered and dressed, grabbing the note to take with her to Charlie's. She chose a white turtleneck jumper to cover her bite, threw a few extra bandages in her purse, then Apparated away to Diagon Alley.

Hermione appeared outside of 93 Diagon Alley. She felt a little nervous at the thought of facing Charlie. What would he think? Would he understand that it had only been a potion? Would he be upset with her? She knew there was only one way to find out.

She made her way into the shop and up to the counter. George was currently manning the counter and smiled when she approached.

"Hey! Feeling better?"

She groaned. "Somewhat. Is Charlie around?"

"Not going to jump him again, are you?"

"No, I just want to talk to him."

"He's upstairs, you know the way."

"Thanks, George."

Hermione made her way up the stairs to the door of the boys flat. She hesitantly knocked, knowing she couldn't put it off any longer.

Charlie answered the door.

"Hermione? Hey, how are you feeling?"

"I've felt better. Can I come in? I'd like to talk to you."

"Sure," he replied, stepping back and opening the door wider. She stepped over the threshold and noticed that Charlie wasn't exactly dressed for company. He was standing, barefoot by the door, wearing only a pair of dark blue silk pyjama pants.

"Thanks," she muttered, noticing how nice his chest looked. He was well built from all his years of Quidditch and dragon training. He had multiple scars across his chest and arms and a few random dragon tattoos littering his back and biceps.

"So, you're not feeling so well?"

"Not really. My stomach is a little upset. Apparently that potion your sister gave me doesn't really agree with me."

Charlie nodded. "Would you like something to drink or eat? I was just fixing breakfast."

"Maybe some water and toast. Thanks."

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to apologize. Charlie, I am so sorry to have put you in a position like that…"

"It wasn't your fault. Ginny gave you that potion, you had no idea, you weren't in control of your actions. Really, it's fine, no hard feelings, I swear."

"But I know it had to have been horrible for you, having your brother's fiancé jumping you, pressed against you! Now Ron is going to be pissed at you, and it's my fault!"

"No, it's my sister's fault. And don't worry about Ron, he'll get over it. Hermione, really, let it go. Having you 'pressed against me' did nothing for me, I swear," he told her, rolling his eyes at her nervous rant.

Hermione shut her mouth at his words, hurt rolling over her. She knew she wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but really! Then again, maybe that was her problem, maybe that was why Bill had left. He had Fleur to look at and sleep with, why would he want plain old Hermione Granger?

Charlie seemed to notice the hurt expression on her face, because he rushed to apologize.

"Hermione, I didn't mean it like that. You're sexy as hell, I swear! It's…it's just that, well…I don't exactly…swing that way," he trailed off, blushing bright red at his admission. Bill had been the only person he had ever been honest with. Now two people knew his dirty little secret. He knew he could trust Hermione, but now he feared her disgust and loss of friendship.

Hermione's face brightened at his confession. "Oh! Charlie, why didn't you tell me before?"

"That's not exactly something you go around announcing. Do you have any idea what my family would think? Please, you have to promise not to say anything."

"Of course!"

Charlie smiled as he made his way into the kitchen to finish up breakfast. Suddenly he stopped and stared at her neck.

"Hermione! You're bleeding!"

"What? Where?" she asked then remembered the bite mark. "Oh, yeah, small problem last night. Can you help me rebandage it?" she asked, noticing how much it hurt to move her arm.

"Sure, but you have to tell me what happened."

They made their way into the bathroom where she began taking bandages out of her purse along with the cream that Dany had left for her.

"You know about the whole…situation with me and Bill?"

"Yeah…are you telling me my brother did this to you!?"

"Yes. Charlie, I've been so stupid," she whispered, feeling the tears pool in her eyes again. "It was supposed to be sex, plain and simple, but I turned it into so much more, at least for me. Last night, Bill was there and he was furious. It was the night before the full moon, you know how he can't control his temper, and, well, he was jealous I think. He didn't like the thought of me…with you, and one thing led to the other and in the heat of the moment, he bit me. I think he was so disgusted at the way he acted that he decided to call the whole thing off. He and Fleur are moving back to Egypt," she finished her tale, still holding back her tears.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine, it was just a stupid fling. I'll be okay," she assured him.

"Let's get your shirt off so we can clean and cover that wound."

She nodded. She tried to pull off her jumper, but stopped when the pain in her neck became too much.

"Here, let me help." Charlie helped her pull off her now stained jumper then helped her clean and bandage the bite mark. "Let me get you something clean to wear."

"Thanks, Charlie," she smiled at him. "Thanks for everything."

"Hey, what are friends for?"

Charlie brought her one of his white button up shirts so she wouldn't have to raise her arms to put it on.

"Thanks." She put on the shirt then settled down on the couch and picked up his copy of the morning edition of the Daily Prophet.

Her reading was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Want me to get that?" she called out to Charlie.

"Yeah, that'd be great!"

Hermione made her way over to the door and pulled it open. She felt her heart stop at the expressions on the faces of the people standing on the landing.

"Hermione?" Ron asked, his jaw clenching in anger.

She opened her mouth to explain, knowing what it must look like for her to be standing here in his brother's shirt. Before she could answer, Charlie came out of the kitchen with their breakfast in his hands.

"Hermione, love, who is it?"

"Yes, Hermione, love, tell him who it is," Ron hissed in anger.

"Ron," Charlie said in warning, knowing how it must look for him to be in his pants only and Hermione wearing his shirt.

"You know what, forget it. I don't know why I try. You always wanted someone else, didn't you? Hermione, it's over. Give me my ring."

Hermione gasped. "Ron! You don't understand!"

"No, I don't and you know what? I don't want to. I just want you out of my life."

Hermione took off her ring and threw it at Ron before running, sobbing, into the bathroom and slamming the door behind her.

Ron picked up the ring and Disapparated.

"Charlie, tell me this isn't what I think it is," Ginny pleaded.

Charlie turned his furious gaze on his sister. "After what you pulled last night? Wouldn't it serve you right."

With that Charlie slammed the door in his sister's face.

He made his way back to the bathroom and tapped on the door.

"Hermione? Let me in, please." Surprisingly the door swung open. Hermione was sitting on the toilette, sobbing her heart out.

"Does he really think so little of me? Why? What's wrong with me?"

"Hermione, Ron is a prat and you are better off without him. Come on, let's get you comfortable." He carefully picked her up and carried her into his bedroom. She cried into his chest, soaking his scattered red hair with her tears. "Shh…it's okay," he murmured into her hair, holding her close as he lay down beside her.

Hermione cried until she was spent, then fell into a fitful sleep in Charlie's arms.

A/N: Thanks for reading, now please, let me know what you think. Authors live and thrive on reviews, so…go on, let me know! I hadn't really planned on the first part with Remus, but I thought I should thank Lupinswolfie for her support and wonderful reviews, so LW, Darlin' that was for you! Consider it a PWP for the fun of it. Sorry about the shortness, but consider this, you got it three days early! Thanks to Valady for betaing this! Thanks Kathy for putting up with my rants!


	8. Authors Note

Author's Note

HI all, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am not abandoning my stories. I have just gone through the pregnancy from hell. I went on bedrest at around four months, was in preterm labor by five months and was able to hold off the inevitable until 34 weeks, in which my darling daughter graced us with her presence. She then spent time in the NICU before finally coming home. Now she is nearly four months old and I am finally finding time to write again. I am hoping to get some more chapters up within the next week or so, so keep your eyes open! Thank you for your patience and may I suggest refreshing your memory on the stories if you continue to read them? Even I had to do that and I'm the author! lol. Hope to hear from you soon!

~Connie


	9. Part Eight

**Part Eight**

**How the Mighty Have Fallen **

Charlie held the sleeping witch in his arms, tear stains on her face the only remaining sign of her earlier breakdown. He thought back on the whole situation and had to wonder, how had they come to this place?

How had Bill, the Golden Child, come to such a place as this? How had he fallen so far from grace that he cheated on his wife with his brother's fiance? William Weasley was the child his parents had always wanted. Head Boy, handsome, perfect, at least in the eyes of Molly Weasley. Charlie, however, knew better.

He also had to wonder how Hermione Granger, Brightest Witch of her generation, could have found herself in this situation. He knew she had brains to spare, so he had to wonder if they had happened to take a holiday, leaving her to fend for herself as other, mediocre people had to on a daily basis. Whatever the reason, she had done something rather stupid if he did say so himself. That didn't matter though, really. It wouldn't change anything, least of all how he felt about the hurting witch. She was still one of his closest friends, and everyone made mistakes. Mistakes they wished they could take back. He had been there as well, and now he wished more than anything someone had been there to pick up the pieces when he had hit rock bottom.

Charlie shifted slightly, freeing his arm and rolled over to look at the clock. It was nearing lunch time and he and Hermione had skipped breakfast due to their unexpected visitors. He knew she would be hungry when she finally woke up so he made his way quietly into the kitchen and began preparing a small lunch for the two of them.

He used his wand to bring some water to a boil, deciding to fix a bit of pasta, thinking Hermione could use the energy boost. Before he could add the spaghetti to the pot, his doorbell rang again. He cautiously made his way to the door, wondering if they were in for another row. He peaked through the door and was not all that surprised to find Harry Potter on the landing. Charlie opened the door.

"Can I help you?" he asked the black-haired man.

"I want to talk to Hermione," Harry told him matter-of-factly.

"I'm sure you do, but I think she has had enough 'talking' for one morning."

"I know how Ron and Ginny are, and I also know that they tend to jump to conclusions. I want to talk to Hermione. I want to know what's really going on. I don't plan on attacking her, I swear, I just want to make sure she's okay."

Charlie regarded him for a moment before motioning him in.

"If you make her cry again, I will kick you out before you can say 'Quidditch'."

Harry nodded then watched Charlie dissappear down the short hall and return with a sleepy looking Hermione.

"Harry," she greeted cautiously.

"Hermione, you look like crap."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh, breaking some of the awkwardness.

"Gee, thanks, Harry, you always were one for words."

Harry cracked a smile.

"Hermione, what's going on? Seriously, I don't even know what to think. None of this sounds like you, but something is obviously going on. I know you, you wouldn't sleep around on Ron, so please, what is going on?" Harry finished a bit desperately, his eyes pleading with her for an answer he could understand.

Hermione took a deep breath, then told him everything. In a way it felt cleansing, unloading this secret she had kept only to herself, allowing someone else to carry this burden with her. She knew he would probably tell the entire Weasley family, but in way, she couldn't bring herself to care too much.

Harry looked at her with disappointment in his eyes. Hermione had to swallow back more tears.

"Hermione, you have to tell Ron."

"I know," she whispered. "I was wrong to ever keep it from him. It's no wonder he would think I slept with Charlie if I was capable of doing it with one brother, I'm obviously capable of doing it with another."

Harry sighed, "Hermione, you're smarter than this," before engulfing her in a monster hug.

"You... You don't hate me?" she dared to whisper.

"No. Of course I don't hate you. I think you made a mistake, but my love for you is unconditional, I thought you knew that. You're the sister I never got to have. I thought you knew families love each other, even when they make mistakes."

"Oh, Harry!" she sobbed into his shoulder, hugging him tighter.

"I meant what I said though. You need to tell Ron, everything."

"I know, and I will, as soon as he will talk to me."

"He will probably calm down enough to at least listen to what you have to say, if not forgive you."

"I don't expect him to forgive me, I don't deserve it. I just want him to know. I think a part of me agreed to this because I could use it as an excuse to break it off with him. I'm a coward, Harry. I wanted him to stop wanting me instead of growing some balls and telling him that I didn't want him in that way. It was expected of us, but I think I've known for a long time that that wasn't what I wanted," she confessed.

Harry sighed.

"Hermione, love, you've made a mess, but it's not too late to clean it up a bit. I'm always here for you, and I'm pretty sure Charlie is too."

Charlie nodded from the kitchen entrance where he was waiting with two steaming plates of spaghetti and garlic bread.

"Harry, you're welcome to stay if you would like."

"No thanks, I've got to get back to Ginny. I wanted her to cool off before I tried to talk to her. I swear, there are times when I have to try really hard to remember why it is I want to spend forever with her," he mumbled into Hermione's hair while giving her one last hug.

"You're always welcome here, if things don't go as planned," Charlie joked with the younger man.

Hermione smiled.

"The bed is mine, but you can have the couch. Charlie's just going to open his flat up to broken-hearted ex-Gryffindors," she said with a sad smile.

Harry laughed.

"Thanks, I think."

With that Harry left the flat. Charlie brought Hermione her lunch.

"Thank you so much, Charlie. I don't know what I would do without a shoulder to cry on."

"You can cry on me anytime, love."

Hermione smiled then dug into her lunch.

**A/N: I'm keeping this short because I am not quite up to par yet. I feel sluggish and slow when I type, like the words are having trouble coming out. I think it will get better, I'm just out of practice. Bear with me, I have a 3yr old, a 2yr old and a newborn. I promised I wouldn't abandon the story, and I meant it! It's just slow going. I hope to be back to updating normally, just maybe shorter updates for awhile. Thanks for anyone who is still standing by this story.**


	10. Part Nine

**Part Nine**

**Come Again?**

Hermione walked into her flat and dropped her purse. She was still wearing Charlie's shirt but didn't really care. She didn't think Ron would be around soon and even if he was, so what? He already thought she was sleeping with his brother, what would it matter now?

Charlie had offered his place for as long as she needed it, but right now she just felt like she needed some time alone. Her life was a mess and it was time she started worrying about how to fix it. She decided she would give Ron a week and then track him down and talk about the whole mess. That should give him enough time to calm down.

She had two goals to accomplish in that week: one was to find out as much as possible about her marking and the bond it signified, two was to find out the quickest and most accurate way to find out if anything had come from her and Bill's… _meetings_.

They had slept together a number of times without an ounce of protection, though that was the point, and based on her calculations, the timing was perfect for her to conceive, though she hoped maybe she was wrong or they just weren't lucky, and nothing would come of this. Bill obviously changed his mind and was content to live childless with his wife. Then she remembered the note. _I care for you Hermione, perhaps more than is appropriate,_ he had written. What did that mean?

She sighed. It meant that he cared about her, but he had a wife, a wife he wanted to have children with and things would just get awkward if she were in the middle of that. This led to her second problem. In the muggle world, it would be at least two weeks before she would know if she had conceived during one of their _moments_ and she really didn't think she could wait that long. She needed to know ASAP, and for that, she would need someone who knew the ins and outs of wizard medicine. Hermione pulled out Dany's note about the bite and took a deep breath. She had said to call if she needed anything, well, this should constitute as "anything".

Hermione floo'd Dany and within seconds, her friend's head popped into her fireplace.

"Hermione, how are you feeling?"

"I've felt better," she answered honestly.

"What can I do for you?"

"Can you come through? I… I really need to talk to someone and I think it would be better in person."

"Of course, just back up and let me in."

Hermione stepped back to allow the other woman through the fireplace and into her living room. Once she stepped out, the younger woman hit her with a quick spell to dispel the ashes that clung to her Healer robes.

"Alright, Hermione, what can I do for you?" Dany asked.

"How long is it before you can know if you're pregnant?" she blurted out before she lost her nerve.

"Oh boy," the other woman muttered, sitting down on Hermione's couch. "Umm, well, the spell takes about two weeks from… from the day of conception, but the potion can tell you if the egg has been fertilized, though that still won't tell you if implantation will occur or not and there are cases when the potion comes back positive, but for some reason the egg doesn't implant and you go on to have your cycle," she explained in a clinical voice.

"And how do I get that potion?"

"A Healer. Do you want one? I can get one for you if you need it," Dany offered, feeling bad for the scared looking witch.

Hermione nodded and watched as Dany got up and popped back into the fireplace only to come out a few moments later with two vials in her hand.

"I would take one now, and if it comes back negative, then wait about a week and take the other one, just to be sure. If it comes back positive, I would go ahead and double check in a couple weeks with the spell. Just pull out one of your hairs, it has to be fresh, and place it in the potion. If it's positive, it will turn a rich, golden color," she explained. "Do you want me to stay?" she asked, unsure what the younger witch would want.

"No, that's okay; I think this is something I have to do on my own. But thank you so much, for everything, and p-please, don't tell anyone," she asked quietly.

"Oh, sweetie, of course not, not a word out of my lips," Dany promised before hugging her once and popping back into the fireplace.

Hermione took a deep breath and stared at the vials. She had to know, _now._ She took one vial and set the other one down on the table. Quickly pulling out a hair she popped it into the vial and stoppered it. She slowly let her breath out and stared at the clear liquid. Slowly it began to swirl.

Her heart began a troubled cadence as the clear liquid slowly darkened into a light yellow, then into a deep gold.

"No," she whispered brokenly. She had desperately hoped nothing would happen. What were the odds? Was she really that freaking fertile?

Hermione chucked the gold filled vial across her living room, watching as it smashed into the wall. What in the hell was she going to do now? She would have to tell them, all of them, every sordid detail. And what about Bill? He obviously didn't want a baby with her anymore, so what in the world was she going to do with a baby? She had officially screwed her life up.

She grabbed her purse and rushed out of her flat, she had to get out; she had to figure something out. She made it to the apparation point and went to the first place she could think of.

In a blink, she found herself outside of Weasley Wizard Wheezes. She ran into the shop and up to a surprised George.

"Is Charlie up there?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"Yeah, go on up, you okay?"

"No," she told him, whipping past him and up the stairs. When she got to the top, she started banging on Charlie's door.

"Easy, I'm coming," he called out.

When the door opened, Hermione threw herself into Charlie's arms and sobbed.

"Whoa, easy there. Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked in surprised voice.

"I'm pregnant," she sobbed into his chest.

"Oh, shit," he muttered, leading her into his flat and closing the front door. "Okay, shhh, it's okay, 'Mione," he whispered while rubbing small circles on her back.

"No, it's not Charlie! Ron's going to hate Bill, Bill's going to hate me, your parents, don't even get me started on your parents!"

"Here, just sit down, we'll take a few deep breaths, then we'll figure it out," he told her, setting her down on his couch and going into the kitchen to make some tea. "Does anyone else know yet?"

"No, I came straight here, I didn't know where else to go."

"That's fine. Here," he handed her a cup of tea with a bit of milk and sugar, just the way she liked it.

"Thanks," she muttered. "What am I going to do? I… I thought about terminating it, but, that's just not right. I mean, in reality, we _were_ actually _trying_ to get pregnant, before all hell broke lose. It's not the baby's fault that we screwed everything up," she explained in a rush.

"So you are definitely keeping it?"

"Yes, I can't imagine doing anything else," she whispered brokenly.

"Call Harry. He's good with the impossible situations," Charlie advised. "Plus he's your best friend, he'll help in any way he can."

"Would you call him?" she asked, not able to tear her eyes away from her tea to face Charlie.

"Sure."

A few minutes later, Charlie walked back into the living room with a messy-haired young man in tow. Apparently the red head had explained things already because Harry just threw his arms around Hermione and hugged her tight. For that, she was thankful, she didn't think she had it in her to explain it all again.

"Oh, 'Mione, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Harry asked.

"No… but, it's all my fault. I screwed up and now I'm paying for it," she mumbled into his shoulder.

He just kept quiet and hugged her harder before pulling back to look at her.

"What do I do now?" she asked her oldest friend quietly.

"There's not much to do. You'll have to tell them. It's going to hurt, and people will be mad, but you can't keep something like this a secret."

"I've hurt enough people; I can't bear to hurt anyone else."

Harry was quiet for a minute before a light seemed to come on. His whole composure brightened and a smile found it's way onto his lips.

"I have an idea. People would still be hurt, but not as many, and not as badly and you could keep Bill out of it," he told her.

"What?" she asked.

"Tell them it's Charlie's baby."

Two shocked faces turned towards him.

"What?" Hermione asked, unsure if she had heard him right.

"Tell them it's Charlie's. Everyone knows about the potion, and Ron and Ginny already think you came over here and slept with him… in a couple weeks, you guys can announce it's his. If they'll blame anyone it would be Ginny, for giving you the potion," he told them.

"And what about the part where they're pissed at Charlie for sleeping with his brother's fiancée?"

The smile faded a bit on his face.

"Didn't think about that."

"Hermione, while overcome with the potion, cast a spell, a lust spell, causing me to completely forget everything but her," Charlie spoke up, a smirk on his face.

"What? You can't actually be thinking about doing this, can you?" Hermione asked in shock.

"Just think about it for a second. This really leaves neither of us at blame, so most of the family wouldn't be too pissed. It keeps Bill out of it, keeps the scandal quiet, it's a perfect solution," he told her.

"Except for the fact that you would be taking responsibility for something you didn't cause. A baby is a big thing, Charlie, and I'm not going to place that on your shoulders," she told him, amazed at the lengths he was willing to go to to help her.

"You'll need help taking care of the baby, and this way, my family would step up to help, and… I really don't mind playing dad," he told her, shrugging as a blush crept up his neck.

"Charlie, I can't ask you to do this, and where did this come from, Harry? You realize if we pulled this off it would turn Ginny's family against her?"

Harry's jaw clenched.

"If she even acted sorry, I might feel bad about planning something like this, but she didn't even act like she had done something wrong… she's always sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong… I… I really don't know if we have much a future left," he told her.

Hermione blinked in surprise.

"I-I'll think about," she told the two men, before excusing herself to the loo.

**A/N: well, did you miss me? Lol, did you think I was gone? Nope, not gone, I promised I would finish this, and I will, in fact, I've got quite a bit written! So, go on, review, please! The reviews help immensely, the more reviews, the easier it is to write, don't know why! Lol. Seriously, thank you for those who are still reading this! And for the people who have commented on the fact that a lot of this is cliché, well, I would like to remind everyone that this is a Cliché Challenge… hence, well, the cliché! Lol. Thanks again, please, let me know what you think!**


	11. Part Ten

**Part Ten**

**A/N: Yes, I am still alive, and writing. I put up on my livejournal that I was going on hiatus where Harry Potter was concerned, because NOTHING was coming out. I don't know what is wrong with me, but writing wasn't HAPPENING. It still isn't for "Mudblood" but for some reason, late last night, I started writing on this and… LOOK! Two chapters! Part Eleven is still being worked on, but I'm pretty sure this part is DONE! I have had a lot of complaints about this fic, and I'm sorry that some people don't like it, but please, you could be NICE about it… and I feel like a broken record… but yes, I know it's very cliché… it's SUPPOSED TO BE. Okay, rant over. It's a bit shorter than what I usually want for a chapter, but… oh well. It moves along, so for me, at the moment, getting ANYTHING out, well, it's a miracle… I'm hoping that the words for this will just keep flowing… so far, it's working… I just don't know what IT is so I can keep doing it… Oh well, enjoy!**

Hermione slowly opened her eyes; the late afternoon sun was peaking through the half-pulled curtains, bathing her face in a light warmth that chased away the horror that lingered in her mind.

It took her a moment to remember why she should be feeling horror then it all slammed back to her. Memories of the past weeks assailed her harshly, causing a cold weight to settle in her stomach.

She had royally screwed up. Her earlier freak out was completely pointless. She had no one to blame, had no right to be upset or angry with anyone but herself.

Hermione understood that she had brought this down upon herself. She had willingly gone along with Bill's insane plan, and it had worked. She was pregnant, or… _probably_ pregnant. They had accomplished what they had set out to do… only problem was that Bill wasn't supposed to have said never mind and high tailed it back to Egypt with his wife in tow.

No, their _plan_ had been for him to stay here, for him to take responsibility, for Bill and Fleur to raise this baby… not her… by herself.

No, their plan hadn't exactly gone as… well… _planned_.

Hermione sighed and pulled herself up out of the bed Charlie must have put her in after she had fallen asleep next to him on the couch. For the first time in two days she felt clear headed, sure of herself.

She knew what she had to do… or at least what path to start down. She didn't have to explain herself to anyone, not really. There were two people who were owed an explanation, but really, that was it.

She would go see the first person now. Ron deserved to know the truth. She had been entirely unfair to him and it was time for her to fess up.

Nodding to herself, Hermione made her way out to the living area to explain to Charlie where she was off to, but the sight she found caused her to pause.

Sitting at the dining table was a sight she never thought she'd see, one that made her laugh out loud, bringing the flat's occupants' attention to her.

Charlie and Harry were sitting amidst multi-colored cloth squares, pink and blue candies and… _baby booties?_

"Uhh…" she stuttered unintelligibly.

Charlie paused midway through stuffing two colored candies into a cloth lined baby bootie to glance up at her, a soft smile gracing his handsome face.

"Hey. We're just helping get ready for Katie's baby shower," he said by way of explanation.

"You look better," Harry commented laying down a half finished bootie.

"I feel better," she admitted, laughing at Harry and Charlie's attempts at creativity.

"Hey! Don't laugh! You try telling a hormonal, pregnant witch no," Harry muttered darkly.

"Right… anyway, I'm going over to Ron's. I think it's time he and I had a little chat," she told the two men.

Charlie immediately looked unsure.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? He was pretty pissed when he left. Maybe you should give him time to calm down," Charlie suggested.

"What exactly are you going to tell him?" Harry chimed in.

"The truth," was her simple answer.

Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You sure about that?"

"He deserves it," she answered.

Harry nodded, knowing that she was making the right decision.

"And what are you going to do when he tells the rest of his family?"

Hermione sighed at that.

"I don't know. I'm hoping I can appeal to the decent side of him and get him to let me tell everyone else, once I'm ready that is. Once I know _what_ I want to tell them. It's really not anyone's business, save for mine, Bill's and Ron's," she told them, chewing on her bottom lip in nervousness.

"I guess that's true. Are you sure you want to go over there alone?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, I think that's best. Ron may be a lot of things, but he isn't abusive. He wouldn't hurt me. It's fine, I promise."

"Okay, but floo us if anything goes wrong, and come back here when it's over. We'll be waiting," Charlie told her while Harry nodded in agreement.

"Thanks guys. I'll come back, promise, I just need to do this alone, it's time I own up to my mistakes."

Charlie got up and hugged her tightly before letting her go and getting back to stuffing his baby booties.

"Be careful," Harry told her while offering her a hug as well.

"When am I anything but careful?"

"The last few weeks?" he asked cheekily.

Hermione cringed.

"Okay, you made your point. I'll see you guys later."

* * *

It took Hermione longer than usual to make the short trip to Ron's flat, and that wasn't counting the ten minutes she stood outside his door trying to come up with the courage to knock on the door.

When she finally took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock, the door flew open to reveal a rather angry looking red head.

"What?" Ron bit out, eyes hard and red rimmed.

"Can I come in? I… I want to talk to you," Hermione asked quietly.

Ron sighed before stepping back and allowing her into his flat.

Hermione walked silently into the small living area but hesitated before taking her normal seat on the worn sofa. Ron walked past her and plopped down in an oversized chair he tended to favor.

"Okay, you want to talk, so talk," Ron told her, eyes still refusing to meet hers.

"I'm sorry."

That seemed to get his attention. His eyes flew up to meet hers, anger and disbelief evident in their depths.

"You're sorry? Seriously, that's all you have to say?" he scoffed.

"No, that's not all I have to say, but I thought it was the best place to start," she told him earnestly.

Ron rolled his eyes before looking away again, his shoulders tense and hunched.

Hermione watched her ex-fiancé and wondered if this was really the best idea. She came to the same decision she had this morning, yes, it was. It was the right thing to do.

Taking a deep breath, she blurted out the whole story, every last horrid detail. It didn't take long, when blurted out in a rush and by the end Ron was pale and had a sick look on his face.

"You did… _what?_" he demanded.

"I slept with you brother. I agreed to help him by getting pregnant since Fleur couldn't and… and I kept the truth from you."

Ron's mouth opened and closed but no sound came out.

"I honestly wanted to help him, but I know I went about it the wrong way. At the very least I should have spoken with you about it, been honest.

"And as for Charlie, I have _never_ had sex with him. I swear. I know how I acted, but it was the potion, I swear. I went over the next morning to explain to him, to make sure that he and I were okay because he _is_ my friend."

Ron was watching her, eyes wide and jaw slack.

"Well, say something," she mumbled.

"I don't even know where to begin. Do you expect me to just… just smile, say, 'Oh, okay. You're forgiven, let's get back together'?" he asked incredulously.

"No, Ron, I don't. Getting back together is the last thing I expect… or, to be honest, want.

"Ron… there was a time when we were friends, _best_ friends. We should have left it at that. Think hard, Ron… were we _ever_ really happy once we pushed it into something else?"

Ron seemed to be searching her eyes, she had no idea what he was looking for, but he seemed to find it. His eyes softened for a minute.

"Hermione, I _really_ wish we could go back to that, I do… but…"

"I don't expect it any time soon. You need time, I understand that."

"I need a hell of a lot more than time, but I guess that's the best place to start," he muttered just loud enough for Hermione to make out the words.

"Ron, I… I know I'm not in a position to ask for anything, but… I know you love your family, so… please, if you won't do this for me, could you do this for them?"

"Do what?" he asked, suspicion evident in his eyes.

"Just… don't tell them anything. I will… eventually, when I know what I want to tell them… _how_ I want to tell them."

"Don't tell them."

"What?"

"You heard me. Make up whatever excuse you have to, just… don't tell them it's Bill's. Tell them… hell, tell them you met some Muggle while at one of your bookstores. I don't care what you make up, but they have been through too much over the last few years. They don't need this too. Just… just disappear with your secrets. I sure as hell won't spill it."

Hermione just stared, unsure of what she was supposed to say to that.

"Harry and Charlie think I should say that Ginny's potion was too much and that I went ahead and slept with Charlie," she blurted out.

Ron's cold eyes narrowed.

"Well, that would be better on them than the truth, but they'd crucify Ginny. And, as pissed as I am at her, I'm not sure even she deserves that."

Hermione nodded.

"Just go. You'll think of something."

"Ron… I'm-"

"I know. Maybe… one day… you were my best friend," he told her, tears brimming in his eyes.

"I know," she whispered, turning to leave the flat.

"Bye, 'Mione," she heard just before the door closed and her tears finally fell.

* * *

_She felt his presence before she saw him. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, forcing her back against a long, hard body._

_She could feel his hard cock pressing against her back. Gently, he leaned over and nipped at her neck, right over the still tender mark he had left on her the last time they had been together._

"_Mine," he growled quietly in her ear._

"_Yours," she softly replied._

_She couldn't remember taking off her clothes, but she stood naked in the middle of the clearing and from what she could feel, he was as well._

_The full, ripe moon shone down on the pair, eerily lighting up the forest they stood in._

_No more words were spoken as he pulled her down to the ground, covering her body with his own, thrusting into her wet warmth as her hands and knees dug into the wet earth._

_She could feel her arousal growing, every inch of her body exploded with pleasure as he claimed her once again._

_His thrusts became wild and untamed, his hair skittered across her shoulders, unbound and flowing free. As her orgasm grew ever closer, she yearned to see his face._

"_Hermione!"_

"Hermione! Wake up! Please!"

Hermione's eyes flew open as she gasped to fill her lungs with air. Her body sung in unsatisfied pleasure. She could feel her body clenching around a hardness that wasn't there.

In confusion, she glanced up at a red haired man, but not the one she hoped to find. Her body felt like it was going to explode, like it _needed_ to explode.

Sobbing, she threw herself into Charlie's arms, begging him to make it go away.

She couldn't understand the words he murmured into her hair, but the hand he was rubbing up and down her back was soothing as her body ached for something it couldn't have.

She was shaking and sobbing in his arms and she had no idea how to make it better.

**A/N: Thank you so much for the ones of you who have stuck with this fic for so long. If it makes you feel better, the end is in sight. There is still quite a bit to go, but… I know where it is going and can actually SEE the end now! I know I'm not that great about responding to reviews, things are just SO crazy! But I promise, I read EVERY single review, most three or four times, so please, continue leaving your thoughts and suggestions! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!**


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